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NEWCENTURY,OLDTHINKING:THEDANGERSOFTHEPERCEPTUALGAPINU.S.-CHINARELATIONSSusanM.Puska April10,1998
 
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The author would like to especially thank Colonel Larry Wortzel,Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Dennis Blasko, Lieutenant Colonel(retired) David Finkelstein, Lieutenant Colonel Lonnie Henley, PeggySimpson, and Carol Yee for their comments and suggestions. Specialthanks to Colonel (retired) Don Boose for his mentoring and editorialassistance.
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TheviewsexpressedinthisreportarethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyreflecttheofficialpolicyorpositionoftheDepartmentofthe Army,theDepartmentofDefense,ortheU.S.Government. Thisreportisclearedforpublicrelease;distributionisunlimited.
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Comments pertaining to this report are invited and should beforwarded to: Director, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army WarCollege,122ForbesAve,Carlisle,PA 17013-5244. Copiesofthisreportmay be obtained from the Publications and Production Office by callingcommercial (717) 245-4133, DSN 242-4133, FAX (717) 245-3820, or viatheInternetatrummelr@carlisle-emh2.army.mil
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Selected 1993, 1994, and all later Strategic Studies Institute (SSI)monographsareavailableontheStrategicStudiesInstituteHomepageforelectronicdissemination.SSI’sHomepageaddressis: http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usassi/welcome.htm
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FOREWORD
If a host of pundits are to be believed, we are fastapproaching “the Pacific Century,” and, many of themargue, the centerpiece of the new era will be China. Someforecasts have China rising to become the world’s largesteconomy over the next two decades, and acquiring attend-antpoliticalandmilitarypowerintheprocess.Unquestionably, China’s size, population and burgeon-ingeconomywillelevateittoamoreprominentroleinAsia,thePacificandtheworldby2020. Allthemorereasonthenfor those concerned with America’s security to develop akeenerunderstandingofthisrisinggiant.Perhaps a good place to start is with some introspectionabout ourselves in relation to the Chinese. LieutenantColonel Susan Puska, in the monograph that follows, pro-vides just such an examination of the reciprocal relationsbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesoverthepastcenturyand a half. She articulates the theme that cycles of misper-ception have characterized the relationship. If this past isprologue, then potential conflict looms darkly over futureU.S.-Chinainteractions.The first step toward precluding conflict, according tothe author, is to understand the nature of the past relation-ship.Then,thetwocountriesmustovercomethedeepper-ceptual gap between their cultures, their historical viewsand their ideological perspectives. Such understanding,widelysharedineachsociety,willnotassuredevelopmentof bilateral partnership, but is essential to giving it a chance.RICHARDH.WITHERSPOONColonel,U.S.ArmyDirector,StrategicStudiesInstituteiii
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