These are uncertain times. The balance of power is continually shifting worldwide. In "The Next Great Clash," Michael Levin presents evidence of a global political order on the verge of a historic power shift from West to East. A reemerging China is the only nation with the latent capacity to challenge American hegemony, and Levin demonstrates that such challenges to the status quo usually lead to war. Russia, even in its diminished capacity since the end of the Cold War, has deftly positioned itself as the swing player in a future conflict between the United States and China.

Levin...