Book excerpt: Little attention has been devoted to studying Chinese politics at the elite, or national, level. It is particularly important to pay attention to the elite level at a time when Dengist China has given way to the Jiang Zemin era, when issues of China's role in the world stir controversy, and debates about China's "democratization" are prevalent. This book, by one of the leading Western authorities on the subject, describes China's national political climate in a manner that seeks to abstract the political dynamic at work.