notes
Wang tries his hardest to create a compelling narrative to reconcile the USA and China, advocating for a world of beneficial coexistence and mutual learning (while leaning into the narrative of the US's descent versus China's ascent). The problem is that he hinges this almost entirely on his "too many lawyers, not enough engineers" thesis, which is an over-simplification and does not bear out. I became increasingly frustrated when he authoritatively cited "too much judicial review" as a cause for so much time and resource being wasted on lawyers in the US, without seeming to understand the difference between review by the judiciary (a court case) and review of the judiciary (actual judicial review). Ultimately, he writes with an unfounded confidence citing his equal periods living in China and the US as backup for his 3-4 specific examples of his theory. It's weak, sloppy and unconvincing.