Title: A New Era of Risk
Subtitle: Why We Need a New, Sustainable Internationalism to Manage the Rise of China
Subject Classification:  Politics and Government, Business and Management, Economics and Finance  
BIC Classification: JP, KC
BISAC Classification: POL011020, POL033000, POL000000
Binding: Hardback, Paperback, eBook
Publication date: 23 Jan 2025
ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-80441-890-1
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-80441-891-8
ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-80441-892-5

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Description

China is at the centre of a perfect storm of new risks to the global system, international economy and climate. Yet the author argues that the West’s binary geopolitical and geoeconomic thinking is catastrophizing risks and simultaneously failing to develop adequate responses to the complexity of the disruptions underway. The book draws upon a wide range of research interviews with international experts, stakeholders and practitioners to comprehend the rise of China in an important series of case studies, and points to the need for a new, sustainable internationalism that proportionately manages risks and builds interdependence, rather than driving binary conflict.

The concept of sustainable internationalism draws on confidence in Asia that a new cooperative security and globalization can be achieved, such as argued by Kishore Mahbubani, Stephen Roach and others. The book presents important new political risk research on diverse case studies of China’s new forms of interdependence, from an multilateral institution, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and a communications technology firm, Huawei, to Belt and Road infrastructure projects in South East Asia and across Eurasia.

Biography

Author(s):  David Morris is a former Australian and multilateral diplomat; non-resident Senior Fellow, Center for China and Globalization; and Founder and President of 1EarthVillage, based in Australia.

Reviews

"This erudite and balanced study is both reliable and comprehensive. It also challenges alarmist accounts of the rise of China. Highly recommended."
- Wayne Hudson, Charles Sturt University, Canberra

"A New Era of Risk is a timely and thought-provoking read for policymakers and global observers alike. Challenging the prevailing Western narrative that frames China’s rise as a threat, Morris moves beyond decoupling and de-risking rhetoric to offer a nuanced analysis of how China’s ascent is reshaping the global order. He highlights both opportunities and challenges for Eurasia and beyond and provides essential insights into how sustainable internationalism can help the world adapt to—and benefit from—a multipolar reality."
- Baohui Xie, the University of Adelaide, South Australia

"In a disorderly and fractured world, David Morris review of China's international connections offers sensible and measured advice. It deserves to be read by all who are concerned about the future of the global trading system, climate change and the prevention of nuclear war."
- Professor Jocelyn Chey, University of Technology Sydney

"We need real scholars who understand and can explain China’s geopolitical and geoeconomic movements in a sober and balanced way. Dr David Morris is exceptionally qualified to explain Beijing’s role in global affairs, with valuable experience on the policymaking level as a former diplomat as well as tremendous fieldwork and research experience in China and the Asia-Pacific region. This book is a reliable and essential source, helpful for policymakers, businesspeople, scholars and students focused on Chinese affairs."
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mher Sahakyan, Fulbright Visiting Scholar, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Director, China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research, Armenia.

"David Morris provides a refreshingly balanced and unbiased analysis of perhaps the defining challenge of the 21st century: how to manage both the risks and opportunities presented by China’s astonishing economic and strategic rise as we seek a more sustainable internationalism. Drawing on his distinguished background as a former Australian diplomat and academic, as well as exhaustive research and interviewing, Morris skillfully argues against outdated zero-sum thinking and instead makes the case for new forms of interdependence better suited to the emerging new world order.
As the global geopolitical stage continues to balance on the knife’s edge, it would be hard to imagine a more timely offering than David Morris’ “A New Era of Risk: Why We Need a New, Sustainable Internationalism to Manage the Rise of China”. A must-read for policy makers, business leaders, academics, and interested observers alike."
- Stephen Olson, Visiting Senior Fellow, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore)

"A New Era of Risk presents a compelling argument for moving beyond simplistic narratives about China’s rise. Rather than seeing China as an existential threat or an inevitable hegemon, David Morris urges policymakers, businesses, and international organizations to adopt a nuanced approach that emphasizes risk management, institutional cooperation, and sustainable internationalism. Reading the book is a very refreshing experience. In recent times, experts, politicians, and opinion leaders have often presented an overly simplistic view of U.S.-China competition, frequently portraying it as a struggle between good and evil forces. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that China is not a legitimate actor in the international order and that this order must be defended against it. David Morris takes a completely different approach, and if his book were to be described in a single word, it would be sobriety. A significant part of the international discourse appears to have forgotten how to think rationally and to assess various phenomena in their proper context. However, if we wish to avoid major conflicts, we must find a way to coexist in the manner the author proposes."
- Gergely Salát in Eurázsia Szemle, Vol 5, 2025

"In Morris’ words the rise of China changes everything, from politics to geopolitics, from international politics to domestic ones, from technology to cultural values, from the East to the West and from the South to the North. To start with there is profound pessimism and even fear from the West towards the rise of China. The book aims to provide the reader with what Morris calls sustainable internationalism to deal with pessimism and fear and as a way forward for the global community. By providing case studies of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Chinese communication giant Huawei, the trouble Myanmar, and four Eurasian countries Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia and Mongolia in development, this PhD thesis based book discusses whether, even in the current climate of a Trump US regime, whether we can manage the now all societal risks within the theoretical framework interdependence advocated by Keohane (Keohane, 1982; 1984; Keohane & Nye, 2012). As an optimist diplomat, “a cheerleader for international engagement”, a curious traveller first visited Hong Kong in 1973 as a nine-year old, an open-minded student across four continents, a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping desk officer, Morris is pessimistically optimistic that our way ahead can only be sustainable internationalism. I recommend this impressive book to everyone who cares."
- Professor Mobo Gao, University of Adalaide