The Hundred-Year Marathon
China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower
Get The Book — Amazon, Opens in a new window. Other retailers & formats ↓About The Hundred-Year Marathon
Michael Pillsbury argues that Chinese leaders have pursued a long-term strategy to surpass the United States as the dominant global power.
His account interprets strategic competition through a more skeptical lens than engagement-centered approaches. The book’s central thesis is contested and is presented here as the author’s argument.
The selection invites comparison with Kissinger and Martin: where do their explanations converge, and where do they lead readers toward different judgments?
Why I include it
Pillsbury offers a deliberately skeptical counterpoint to the other China selections. It is one of my favorites in the sequence, though it can be dry. His argument about long-term strategic patience is controversial; read it alongside competing accounts and examine the evidence behind each.
