Failing to engage with China will lead to a growing threat of war

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The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping’s China

by Kevin Rudd

Public Affairs (RRP: £25)

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The war in Ukraine is deplorable for many reasons. The scale of human suffering, after the unprovoked assault on the sovereignty of a peaceful neighbour, is shocking. It seems like a throwback because in so many ways it is: land wars in Europe are so 20th century.

The western response has in various ways defied expectations. Unity and action have replaced division and dither. But it has all been done on the fly, making up for lack of previous strategy rather than in service of it. And that lack of strategy is precisely what worries…