Economy, Elizabeth and Michael Levi (2014). By all means necessary : how China’s resource quest is changing the world. Oxford : Oxford University Press. 288 p. ISBN : 9780199921782.

China’s spectacular rise over the past three decades is nothing short of monumental, and is one of the most important events in modern history. Its economic growth affects nations around the world, environmentally, politically and militarily. In By All Means Necessary, Elizabeth Economy and Michael Levi explore the unrivaled expansion of the Chinese economy and what has been required to sustain this meteoric growth.

In the past twenty five years China has transformed from an impoverished country where peasants comprised the largest portion of the populace, by far, to a country of innovation, entrepreneurs and more millionaires than anywhere else in the world. In the beginning, that growth was fueled by internal resources, but like every other major power in modern history China was forced to look outward to find the massive quantities of resources needed to maintain their economic expansion. It is now engaged in a far flung quest around the world for fuel, water, and land for farming, while their military secures sea lanes and focuses on advanced military technologies to protect their interests abroad.

By All Means Necessary is a comprehensive account of where China’s pursuit of raw materials may take them in the coming years-a crucial issue, not just for China, but for the whole world.