'China: Fragile Superpower' is Thompson Forum topic at UNL Nov. 12

Susan Shirk, a former deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for China and author of a 2007 book, "China, Fragile Superpower," will give a lecture of that same name Nov. 12 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues.

The 7 p.m. lecture at the Lied Center for Performing Arts will be preceded by a pre-talk at 6:30 p.m. in the Lied Center's Steinhart Room by Andrew Wedeman, associate professor of political science and chair of Asian Studies at UNL.

Once a sleeping giant, China today is the world's fastest growing economy -- a dramatic turn-around that alarms many Westerners. Shirk's book explored the troubling paradox faced by China's leaders: the more developed and prosperous the country becomes, the more insecure and threatened they feel. Shirk knows many of today's Chinese rulers personally and has studied them for three decades.

Shirk will give an update on the state of China's internal politics and the fears that motivate its leaders. She is director of the University of California's Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, and professor at UC-San Diego's Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. A leading authority on China, she has written numerous books and articles on the country, including pieces in the Washington Post, Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal.

Shirk's address is the third Thompson Forum lecture this season focusing on "Encountering China." Both an ancient civilization and a rising power, China presents some of the most complex questions facing the world today. It is home to one-fifth of the world's population, yet most Americans know little about its culture, heritage and expanding role in world events. China's rise is one of the transformative events of our time as well as one of the most important challenges facing U.S. foreign and economic policy.

All Thompson Forum lectures are free and open to the public, but all events are ticketed. For many lectures, tickets are available at the door, but requesting tickets in advance is recommended. Tickets are free and guarantee a reserved seat. Those interested may reserve Thompson Forum tickets by contacting the Lied Center at (402) 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231. Tickets may also be picked up in person, or ordered by downloading a form at the Thompson Forum Web site, http://enthompson.unl.edu.

Thompson Forum lectures will be available live on the Web (www.unl.edu), Lincoln Time Warner Cable Channel 21, NETSAT 104, UNL campus Channel 8 and UNL's KRNU radio (90.3 FM). Live satellite broadcasts and follow-up discussion will be available in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Kearney, Wayne, Columbus and Omaha.

For 21 years, the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues has brought a diversity of opinions on international and public policy issues to UNL and the citizens of Nebraska, in order to promote understanding and to encourage debate. The forum features forceful speakers who are committed to the issues they address, and seeks balance over the range of programs rather than in each presentation. The forum does not endorse the views of the individual speakers, nor limit their freedom to express their points of view. The Thompson Forum is a cooperative project of the Cooper Foundation, the Lied Center and UNL. In 1990, the series was named in honor of E.N. "Jack" Thompson (1913-2002,) a 1933 graduate of the University of Nebraska who served as president of the Cooper Foundation from 1964 to 1990 and as its chairman from 1990 until his death.

More information about the Thompson Forum is available at http://enthompson.unl.edu.