Book: Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder
Author: Michael McFaul
Reviewed by: Phil Bolton, founder and publisher emeritus, Global Atlanta
Where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we going?
These are the questions that ran through my mind constantly as I read Michael McFaul’s “Autocrats vs. Democrats.”
McFaul, a former ambassador to Russia, took more than a decade to research and write the book. The result is a comprehensive command of past and present U.S. foreign relations with China and Russia. The future, like for the rest of us, is anyone’s guess.
He is also full of questions. How, in his words, did U.S. and Russian relations go from “euphoria about democracy, globalization, and the West three decades ago to uncertainty about democracy, doubt about the liberal international order, and fear of powerful autocracies today?”
There are other questions concerning the future of Russia and China, and “how should Americans — both leaders and citizens — respond?”
Instead of addressing these questions as a diplomat, he says he is approaching them wearing the multiple hats of a social scientist, a historian, and a former policymaker. His sweep of these issues is broad and deep.
The book’s cover places his conclusions in a nutshell: Russia should not be underestimated, China’s capabilities should not be overestimated, and President Trump’s shift toward isolationism and autocracy will weaken America.
Obviously, he has a profound concern about the current course. Yes, he was President Barack Obama‘s ambassador to Russia, but whatever political leanings you have, by reading this book, you’ll have a better grip of the dangers and opportunities that the U.S. faces.
Editor’s notes: Global Atlanta will receive a 10 percent commission on any purchase of this book through the links on this page.
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