Readers leave this text with a better grasp on the causes of current international differences between China and the West and with some practical means toward future cooperative flourishing.
D. P. Prianti, CHOICE
This is a big book. Ned Lebow and Feng Zhang collaborate in a kind of cultural hermeneutics to recover from both the classical Western and Chinese canons the root meaning of their respective conceptions of justice, and then explore how these different meanings play out in the international relations of the modern state system. While importantly different, what is shared between them is that justice for both seems to be a variable calculus of fairness and equality.
Roger T. Ames, Peking University
Every political order claims some notion of justice. Comparing Chinese and Western conceptions of justice, ancient and modern, Lebow and Zhang contends that East-West's overlapping conceptions of justice may just provide a foundation for forestalling a possible conflict and building a more inclusive global order. A tour de force and an enlightening read for anyone who cares about our future.
Shiping Tang, Fudan distinguished professor, Fudan University, Shanghai, author of The Social Evolution of International Politics and The Institutional Foundation of Economic Development
Lebow and Zhang make a compelling argument for the importance of smaller states and their inhabitants' perceptions of justice in international orders. Testing the effects of those perceptions on states' and individuals' behaviours would be a tremendous addition to their fascinating work. The book is an eclectic work of political theory, IR and foreign policy analysis, relevant to anyone interested in the processes and bases of international order.
International Affairs
These expert authors with impressive command of the broad range of relevant social science, historical, and related literature needed for this book have done a remarkable job in making their case for improvement in US-China relations and the broader world order.
Robert Sutter, Pacific Affairs