What Gives Rising Powers Wings?
Tsinghua University professor Yan Xuetong is among the most insightful and influential international relations thinkers at work in China. His newest volume offers an original contribution to the oft-debated topic of “power transitions,” those hinge-points in history when a rising power displaces a hegemonic state. Drawing inspiration from the ancient philosopher Xunzi — a kind of Chinese Thucydides — Yan argues that the quality of political leadership is the key factor in determining whether a rising power can turn the tables on an established one and achieve strategic superiority. He defines leadership in terms of a ruling group’s commitment to “reform,” but the meaning of reform is never clearly delineated. Yan’s argument is further limited by the fact that, while he comments frequently on Donald Trump and the damage his administration is doing to US “strategic credibility,” Xi Jinping is barely mentioned (the Chinese leader’s name is not even included in the index). Given the centrality of Sino-us relations to Yan’s argument, this is a significant shortcoming. Nonetheless, the book brings a deep reading of classical Chinese strategic thought to the contemporary debate over world order, and should be read by anyone seeking a better understanding of how leading theorists in Beijing are thinking through the profound shifts in international affairs.
Yan’s newest volume offers an original contribution to the oft-debated topic of ‘power transitions.’