One misstep of the American education system is the lack of attention paid to Chinese/Asian history. I believe a big part of the indifference and ignorance of American citizens to the China problem, let alone policy makers is that they don't understand how Chinese people think. This is evident by the blunders by Bush and Clinton that brought us to where we are today with regards to China's rising hegemony.
Our idea of Chinese people has come to be shaped by Hollywood and media portraying them as weak, geeky, and innocent when in reality the Chinese mindset is extremely subtle, resourceful, calculated, opportunistic, and oftentimes underhanded. These are the characteristics that have launched the Chinese into the forefront and should be understood from anyone that has studied even a lick of Chinese history. Armed with this knowledge, we will be better off in protecting our democratic interests in the long term.