2005/08/26 by David C. Kang · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #International Relations and Foreign Policy #International Development and Aid #Political Conflict and Governance
paper · doi:10.1017/s1537592705270342
openalex publication_date 2005/08/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Will China's expected emergence as the predominant state in East Asia result in hierarchy or balancing? At least three major bodies of literature predict that a rising China will be destabilizing. Realpolitik pessimists see China's rise as inherently so. John Mearsheimer writes that if China threatened to dominate the entire region, “It would be a far more dangerous place than it is now … Engagement policies and the like would not dull China's appetite for power.” Power transition theorists also see rapidly rising power as a likely cause of conflict. Robert Powell writes that, “A rapidly shifting distribution of power combined with the states' inability to commit to an agreement can lead to war.” Finally, those who focus on signaling emphasize that an authoritarian state has more difficulty in making credible statements about its intentions than a democratic state.