A New View of the Us-china Rivalry
It is now conventional wisdom in international relations scholarship to see the ongoing Us-china rivalry in the frame of power transition theory, in which the differential growth of power among states leads a rising power to challenge the extant dominant power. The rivalry could lead to fatal conflict, including hegemonic war.
This book challenges these views. As not all shifts in the international distribution of power have led to war, how can an established power manage the peaceful rise of a new major power? Michelle Murray casts her analytical focus to the notion of status.
For her, it is not simply acknowledging or accepting a state’s characteristics or capabilities; it is a social construct produced by a country’s social interactions with others. From this constructivist notion of status, Murray argues that as a rising power tries to get its aspirant identity as a major power recognized, its peaceful rise is a function of the struggle for recognition. She applies this social theory to two historical cases at the turn of the 20th century: the rise of Imperial Germany that led to the First World War, and the rise of the US that led to peaceful transition with Britain’s positive recognition.
The implications of the status approach are clear for the Us-china rivalry: In formulating America’s strategic decisions, closer attention should be paid to China’s recognition-seeking and status-seeking needs rather than the dangers of shifting military and economic power.
Global Asia.