Showdown: Why China Wants War with the United States

by Edward Timperlake and Jed Babbin

Will the U.S. go to war with China over Taiwan or oil? Yes-bestselling authors Ed Timperlake and Jed Babbin say Chinese aggression is virtually inevitable and in their new book, "Showdown", they address the threat of mainland China and Bush's promise to defend Taiwan - at any cost. "Showdown" offers indispensable strategies and tactics for the U.S. to respond to the Chinese military threat in this ongoing battle for democracy and freedom.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596980052
• ISBN13: 9781596980051
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Interesting reading, but how likely?

There's an old saying that predicting the future is difficult, but being right is hard. This book is an attempt to predict one future. It's an excellent read, a combination of fictional senarios with observed data. It's the conclusion he comes to that is rather hard to swallow. The sub-title of the book says: 'Why China Wants War with the United States.' I'm afraid that I don't believe this. Sure, China has some foreign poilicy ambitions. They is going to be friction between the US and China. But a full fledged war, I think unlikely. The first senario, for instance, is what would be the real result of China's attempt to take over Taiwan by military force. Would the US really go to a major war over Taiwan? What if the Taiwanese government decides that they want to join China, there is already a movement in Taiwan to do that? One of the things he forsees is an 'unholy alliance between Communist China and radical Islam. This I kind of doubt also. Under the Cultural Revolution under the pretext of unification of national education, Islamic schools were closed and their students transferred to other schools which taught only Marxism and Maoism. Other outrages included the closing of over 29,000 mosques, the widespread torture of imams, and executions of over 360,000 Muslims. I don't see the radical Islamic people quite so easy to forgive and forget and to enter an alliance. Very interesting reading, but a big time war, I don't think so. I hope we are smart enough to not get involved with a land war in China. And they don't have the blue water navy capable of doing much to us.

Be afraid; be very afraid.

This book is a must-read for anyone who is involved in foreign policy or international trade, or anyone who just wants to know the truth. China is not just a country of silk and fortune cookies, nor is it merely an economic competitor entering the "flat world" of Thomas Friedman. It is the world's most populous nation, with a command economy and a despotic leadership that will use every means, fair and foul, to advance what it perceives as its national interest. Foremost among those interests are the assimilation of Taiwan and the securing of oil and other industrial resources. The authors lay out several scenarios for military conflict that, at first, seem highly implausible. On further reflection, and in light of the statistics the authors provide on the Chinese military build-up, these scenarios must be viewed as quite possible. The conclusion is inescapable that the US and China are on a collison course over Taiwan, oil, and, as the Chinese would phrase it, world hegemony. We cannot hide our heads in the sand, but will have to learn to deal with China's ascendancy in starkly realistic terms.

Christmas, brought to you by China......

This past Christmas morning my husband and I jokingly researched every item we purchased for each other and our toddler to see where the product was made. Ninety-nine percent of all items were "Made in China." No matter how you try and sugar-coat it China is already cleaning our clocks! Why did I enjoy "Showdown?" Because it offers the reader a review of the current Chinese leadership, how their actions speak louder than words, and a possible game plan in the next 10 to twenty years. Let's face it - there isn't enough copper in the world to wire China for computers and other communication technology. Their sizable population and appetite for fossil fuels will naturally force China's nefarious regime to stretch beyond its borders to gobble up energy, technology, and short cuts to keep the red dragon - one billion plus people - fed. It is not a conservative or liberal challenge but rather simple economics.

Send a Copy to Your Congressman

This book is an eye opener of the first magnitude and so interesting that I finished it the day after it was delivered. The authors, Babbin and Timperlake, use a captivating mixture of fact reporting and fictionalization to produce a strong argument for being prepared for a future war against China. Contrary to some assertions, the facts speak for themselves. The fact is that China and the United States have an insatiable need for finite oil supplies that, in the near future, will engender competition at best and conflict at worst. The fact is that China is engaged in a military modernization and buildup program that is unrivaled since Nazi Germany. The fact is that China has threatened the United States with war if we intervene in their planned annexation of Taiwan. The fact is that China is developing a wide range of offensive weapons systems, including cyber-warfare and anti-satellite systems. The fact is that our "allies," in Europe are willing to sell sophisticated weapons systems to the Chinese without regard to the dangers associated with doing so. This book is well researched and sourced. It clearly distinguishes between the chapters that are non-fiction and those that represent fictionalized accounts of possible conflict scenarios. It is highly readable and enjoyable. I would also like to point out that, as a former Reagan Republican, I've vehementently disagreed with many policies of the Bush Administration, but oddly enough, their China policy seems reasonably coherent. There is much, however, that remains to be done.

"Showdown" is fascinating!

"Showdown" is an unusual book. In between being a well-documented description of China's emergence as a superpower and providing some practical ideas on how to avoid a war, the authors have included a series of fictional chapters describing scenarios of how war with China might erupt, be fought, and end. Though the fiction is as riveting as a Clancy novel (and in much the same style), the results aren't what you'd expect. There's not a lot of good news or chest-thumping over-the-top America can't be beat nonsense. We lose some, we tie some, and only win a couple. It's a terrific read, and a wake-up call as subtle as a bucket of ice water.