In this publication, we offer 1) “Response to Essays by Joseph Nye and M.D. Nalapat” by Professor David S. Mason; and 2) “To Live up to Nobel Peace Prize, Obama Needs China” by Dr. George Koo.

Reader’s Comment on “Comment #1: American Power in the Twenty-First Century” by Joseph S. Nye:

In a world of diffused power, the nation that is the best in finding win-win situations with other nations, large or small, will fare the best and benefit the world the most. Will America rise to this challenge?

Editor’s Reply:

This is a good question that brings up a good point. The answer will define the nature and trend of American power in the 21^st century. Globalization has changed today’s world toward closer interconnection and cooperation. Americans will have to make major changes in their attitudes and mentality for accommodation and mutual benefits with other nations. Whether this can be done successfully depends, first, heavily on American political leadership to join the nice-guys club after playing the arrogant master of the universe for so long. Obama needs time, wisdom and experience to turn things around for finding win-win situations with other nations. The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China has been described as the most important in the 21st century, and rightly so. However, on many specific global issues, Beijing's positions do not align identically with Washington's. If Obama can help lay the foundations for ensuring China's peaceful rise, it will be a great success. On other fronts, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq pose the most severe challenges for America in the near term, where favorable conditions are yet to be attained. Second, for the American people, David S. Mason’s book The End of the American Century has laid the path for their readjustments with greater vigilance and reduced pain.