Frederick, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/10/2014 -- While the United States has spent generations branding itself as the world’s largest superpower, feathers are starting to ruffle as it meets its match with China. The next two-decades are likely to see China and the USA stand on equally-powerful footings, but current resentments could spark disastrous conflict rather than harmony. Maryland’s Dr. George Du Bois knows that the solution lies in America’s ability to understand China’s 4000-year history and the attitudes they have derived from it. His new book provides that guidance. ‘Understanding China: Dangerous Resentments’ takes readers on an illuminating journey through China’s intricate history; a journey that explains numerous Chinese resentments that can be mitigated step by step as China finds its place in the global community.

Synopsis: The United States has been the world's dominant super power for the last 70 years. It sets the rules for international relations and seeks to maintain the status quo. That situation is changing. China is expected to equal the United States in power within two decades, and relations between the two have become increasingly confrontational. American policy makers need to understand Chinese attitudes formed during 4,000 years of their history--as leaders of civilization until 1800--and then as impotent objects of exploitation and derision for the next 100 years. The Chinese have strong resentments against the nations of the West, resentments that pose a danger of future conflict unless American policy makers understand and attempt to mitigate them. Any evaluation of China's future actions that omits its long history treats relations between the two countries as mere questions of economic tensions, military power, and super-power ambitions. While these factors are important, so also is cultural memory. This book presents a concise but complete overview of Chinese history up to 2014 and indicates crucial lessons that should be drawn in order to facilitate peaceful trade and cooperation.

“The honest truth is that the U.S.’ approach to China is too muscular and dangerously short-sighted,” explains Dr. Du Bois, who has spent half a century diligently studying history. “We need to look ahead so we can start shaping our foreign policy against global shifts in power. My book takes us two-decades ahead in time, so we can see where we will likely be and prepare for the future now.” Continuing, “But this isn’t a book chock-full of academic jargon. I actually wrote it with the educated layperson in mind, because we all need to be informed. Trying to educate just the actual policy makers is risky; it’s vital to inform the nation so that influence can be placed on all tiers of Government.”

Early reviews for the book have been overwhelmingly positive. George H. Callcott, History Professor Emeritus and former Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Maryland, comments, “Here at last is a clear-headed explanation, wise and persuasive, of China---its ancient history, its rich culture, its ways of thought, its economy, and its growing place in the modern world. Dr. Du Bois is a distinguished and venerable scholar of balance and good judgment. He admires China without fawning; he criticizes without cynicism or anger. His welcome to China into the modern community of nations is warm, wary, and realistic.” Richard G. Long, Ph.D, adds, “This book is a short but excellent portrayal of 4000 years of Chinese history. It integrates the role of philosophy into the political-economic demographic history of Chinese civilization, showing how China’s history affects her present attitudes. Dr. Du Bois tackles the burning question of the future of U.S.-Chinese relations with a nuanced analysis of the salient factors making for cooperation or conflict.”

‘Understanding China: Dangerous Resentments’ is available now: http://amzn.to/1mLud4i

About George Du Bois
George Du Bois has been an avid student of history for the past 50 years, both professionally and for personal pleasure. He grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He received his B.A. from Cornell University, where he fi rst studied Chinese history. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1957 from the University of Virginia, where he taught a course on labor law. His first book was Cross-Class Alliances and the Birth of Modern Liberalism: Maryland’s Workers, 1865-1916. He also taught in independent schools for many years, including courses on Chinese history. He obtained his Ph.D. in history from the University of Maryland in 1995. The present volume is the product of eight years of research and writing. The author of several articles on historical topics in The Torch magazine, Du Bois lives with his wife in Frederick, Maryland.