Taylor Fravel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
Michael Beckley has written a terrific, insightful, and persuasive book. By examining a nation’s net and not gross power, Unrivaled suggests that China’s rise poses much less of a challenge to the position of the United States than is commonly believed. It should be required reading for scholars and policymakers alike.
Michael C. Horowitz, University of Pennsylvania:
Is the United States in decline? In this fascinating and well written book, Michael Beckley argues that the United States is and will remain the world’s sole superpower. Beckley’s novel theory emphasizes the national production, welfare, and security costs that influence relative national power. Drawing on a broad array of sources, he shows that his theory explains changes in the economic and military balance of power over the last 200 years, and that the narrative of American decline and China’s rise is therefore flawed. This important book challenges conventional wisdom and should be read by scholars and policymakers alike.
William C. Wohlforth, Dartmouth College, and coauthor of America Abroad:
Beckley upends conventional wisdom on the United States’ global power position. Don’t let the lively prose and accessible style trick you into thinking of this as an evanescent intervention in the debate on American decline. Unrivaled is a scholarly tour de force that will reshape the debate and cast a long shadow on subsequent scholarship.
Nuno Monteiro, Yale University, and author of Theory of Unipolar Politics:
Beckley’s Unrivaled is simply the best book written on the sources of U.S. primacy in today’s world. Through a careful analysis of economic and military power, Beckley refutes views of U.S. decline and shows conclusively that the United States is poised to remain the world’s unparalleled behemoth for the foreseeable future.
John Mearsheimer, University of Chicago:
For those who think China is going to overtake the U.S., Michael Beckley says think again. Unrivaled shows that China can't match America's ability to generate wealth and military power. This masterful book backs up Bismarck's quip that "God has a special providence forthe United States.
Josef Joffe, Stanford University:
Michael Beckley's research demolishes the current China hype, which fills a small library by now. 'America's edge will endure' is the message of this piece, and it is argued with academic rigor, felicity of style, and compelling numbers. Unrivaled will overturn many clichés about America's 'decline' while greatly improving the intelligence of the debate.
Keir Lieber, Georgetown University:
Michael Beckley offers a devastating and definitive critique of the idea that we are witnessing the end of the American era. In support of his case, Beckley's book is conceptually clear, empirically unassailable, and analytically fair and objective. It will quickly become a classic in International Security studies.
Unrivaled is an invaluable resource replete with a myriad of useful statistics, facts, and explanations of demographic, economic, and military trends.
Michael Beckley published a richly detailed study of Chinese military and economic weaknesses.
An important new book.... Beckley is convincing.
Smart and sophisticated.
Beckley demonstrates that no country is poised to upend American primacy, not economically, not militarily, and not technologically.... The evidence he assembles should be part of any serious debate about where we are headed.
