The decision that President Richard Nixon took in 1972 to bring to an end Washington"s 23-year-long attempt to isolate and overthrow the Peoples" Republic of China (PRC) changed the global political balance in deep and lasting ways. When Nixon held his meetings with Chairman Mao in Beijing in February 1972, at his side was a young U.S. diplomat who was serving as his principal interpreter: Chas W. Freeman, Jr. Throughout and following his distinguished career in government, Freeman returned again and again to matters Chinese. "Interesting Times: China, America, and the Shifting Balance of Prestige" is his own curation of the best of the analysis he produced on developments in China and in the U.S.-Chinese relationship, over the whole period 1969-2012. In "Interesting Times", Freeman brings a broad and uniquely well-informed historical perspective to his analysis of the issues--including Taiwan, various other strategic issues, and differences over human rights and economic and...