Previously, Ignatius served as Time's executive editor starting in 2002, responsible for the magazine's business and international coverage.

He wrote frequently for the magazine, including cover stories on Google and the 2007 Person of the Year profile of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Prior to joining Time, Ignatius worked for many years at the Wall Street Journal, serving as the newspaper's bureau chief in Beijing and later in Moscow.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Asia Society and sits on the advisory board of the journalism school at SUNY.

[4] The book is based on audiotapes that Zhao Ziyang, the former Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, recorded at home during 1999 and 2000.