The 2008 global financial crisis along with the continued rise of China and the other BRIC powers has accelerated a great power transition that could be as far-reaching in its implications as that of the early 20th century. How the United States responds to the challenge of an emerging multi-polar world and how rising powers like China, Brazil, and India see their place in the international system will determine to a great degree whether the 21st century is peaceful and prosperous.
The American Strategy Program Paper Series on American Strategy and the Unfolding Great Power Transition offers in-depth analysis of the structural changes driving this great power transition and the policy challenges the United States must face as a result. Collectively, the Paper Series seeks to answer the following questions: What is the nature of the great power transition underway and how does it compare with earlier great power transitions? Will it be compatible with the maintenance of global peace and the stable functioning of the world economy? What are the implications for U.S strategy and interests? How can America ensure its prosperity and security in the emerging multi-polar world? What changes are necessary in the global political and economic architecture to accommodate this great power transition?
