For China watchers, the word “war” used to feel comfortably theoretical. Think tanks and policy advisors would game out how a conflict over Taiwan or the South China Sea would play, even scenarios bringing major powers into direct military conflict — even though few would bet on things ever escalating to that point. Putin’s euphemistically-termed special military operation in Ukraine, the downwards spiral in Sino-U.S. communications, and the decoupling that has nullified much of the vested economic interest in peace, have combined to make that assumption far less certain. Now, tragically, we must treat seriously the risk of a live conflict this decade with China on one side and a Western power or powers on the other. Kevin Rudd’s book on just this topic tops this month’s list, providing a sage warning about the risk of war between the U.S. and China, as well as a roadmap to avoiding it. Other titles offer perspectives on how the two nations can manage their competition �