Free Essay

Realism Theory Focused Chinese – United States Foreign Policy

In:

Submitted By MJ70
Words 898
Pages 4
Realism Theory focused Chinese – United States Foreign Policy

There is no disputing that the United States (US) has been known around the world as the superior, single most dominating state for decades (Drew & Snow, 2006). There should be no surprise we are now seeing the rest of the world questioning how to deal with taming the American power (Walt, 2005). China along with other nations are facing this daunting question of how to balance the power, even the playing field by striving to become a great power (Forsyth, 2008). This essay will address the realism theory focusing on the three of the instruments of power (IOP) as it applies to the Chinese foreign policy towards the US.
To begin with, this essay will touch on Chinas fluctuating military stance. China continues to display the traditional realist view of balancing power plus states gain their power through war and military intimidation (Forsyth, 2010). Chinas strategic culture and historical record shows they are willing to use force to maintain security and power against the US. They are positioning their assets and “threatening potential US conflict over Taiwan” (Gompert & Phillip, 2011, 42). They’ve increased their military budget, showed capabilities by shooting down a satellite, and “acquired military capabilities-including anti-ship cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and electronic countermeasure technologies—that could hinder US forces if they tried to operate in China’s neighborhood” (Walt, 2005). In conclusion, this on again, off again military stance is showing that China is fearful of its ultimate security.
Second, I will address economics and international trade agreement that China has with the US. China has proven it is an economic force to be reckoned with, second only to the US. China welcomes continued trade agreements with the US, who is one of their largest trading partners aiding in converting this agricultural state into one of the world’s most vigorous, industrial markets (Gompert & Phillip, 2011). As China continues to strive for more power we may see that they will exercise their right as one of the great powers to make or change the rules of the game. In conclusion, China’s impressive economic growth has made it a possible competitor to the US.
Third, I will touch on the effects of information technology in regards to the Chinese-American policy. No one will dispute that information is the ultimate power; it allows one to move/react quickly and freely throughout the world instantaneously, driven by our technological advances (Friedman & Kaplan, 2002). There has been “secrecy about Chinese military and civilian cyberspace programs making it hard to render a clear judgment,” of the true weight of their intelligence “policy on the employment of offensive cyber operations for intelligence collection and cyber-attacks” (Gompert & Phillip, 2011, 51). They’ve admitted they would prefer soft kills to “temporarily or permanently deny use of space assets by means such as jamming, blinding, or cyber-attack over hard kills” regarding attacking US capabilities (Ibid, 59). However, China did pass an “antihacking law in February 2009 that criminalizes previous legal activities, including creation and dissemination of malicious software,” and they have acted on this with “high-profile arrest/convictions (Ibid, 65) . Finally, China has shown a diverse stance on their information policies that shows they are willing to cross the fence for the sack of future security.
In conclusion, this essay analyzed the realism IR theory on the Chinese foreign policy towards the US. It’s vital to realize each theory offers its own perception of a state’s reactions to IR challenges but when combined they play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses (Diprizio, 2008). One must apply and understand the art of all IOP: democratic, informational, military, and economy in order to be strategically successful (Yarger, 2010)“We need to be clear-eyed about the strengths and shortcomings of international institutions that were developed to deal with the challenges” we must encourage “the collective action that can serve common interests” to meet the needs of mankind and protect the environment through promoting global interests regardless of the state (Obama, 2010, 3).
Bibliography
DiPrizio, Robert C. ― Constructivism. Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) Lecture Video. Maxwell AFB, AL: ACSC, 2008.
Drew, Dennis M., Donald M. Snow. ―Making Twenty-first Century Strategy: An Introduction to Modern National Security Processes and Problems. Maxwell AFB, AL.: Air University Press, January 2006.
Friedman, Thomas L. and Robert D. Kaplan. ―States of Discord. Foreign Policy, 129, March-April 2002.
Forsyth, James H. "Realism. Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) Lecture Video. Maxwell AFB, AL: ACSC, 2008.
Forsyth, James H. “Realist Thought and National Security Policy.” International Security Studies AY11 Coursebook. Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press, 2010.
Gompert, David C., and Phillip C. Saunders. The Paradox of Power: Sino-American Strategic Restraint in an Age of Vulnerability. Washington, D.C.: National Defense University Press, 2011.
Obama, Barack H. The National Security Strategy (NSS) of the United States of America, 2010. Washington, ,D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2010.
Walt, Stephen M. ―Taming American Power. Foreign Affairs 84, no. 5, September-October 2005.
Yarger, Harry R., ― The Strategic Appraisal: The Key to Effective Strategy. In U.S. Army College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume I: Theory of War and Strategy. 4th ed. Edited by J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. Carlisle Barracks, PA.: US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute July 2010.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Man of Steel and the Dragon: Australia’s Relationship with China During the Howard Era Proposal

...THE MAN OF STEEL AND THE DRAGON: AUSTRALIA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA DURING THE HOWARD ERA PROPOSAL INTRODUCTION On consecutive days in October 2003, President George W Bush of the United States of America and President Hu Jintao of People’s Republic of China addressed joint sittings of both houses of the Australian Parliament. This historic occasion symbolises how Australia conducted its foreign relations with ‘East’ and ‘West’ during the Howard Era. The pragmatic decision to allow Hu Jintao to become the first non-American foreigner to address both houses demonstrates how Howard viewed Sino-Australian relations. It showed the world that it was possible to have warm relations with both the United States and China. By the end of the Howard Era in 2007, China had become Australia’s major trading partner. This was a far cry from 1996, when in the first months of the newly elected Howard Government a series of events caused severe tensions in Sino-Australian relations, as described below. This culminated in the Chinese response of banning visits to China by Australian ministers, a serious manoeuvre in the nuanced world of diplomacy. From these frosty beginnings, the relationship between the two nations strengthened considerably, for a variety of reasons, some of them outside Australia’s control. Paul Keating may have sown the seeds to Australia’s ‘pivot’ to Asia, but it was the Howard Government that undertook the most significant shift in orientation, cumulating in...

Words: 5401 - Pages: 22

Free Essay

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy

...evil and good, it operated on the theory that evil, was in the form of the USSR, and was getting the upper hand. To Reagan and his advisers, examples of Soviet treachery, including support for Marxist movements around the globe, were numerous; moreover, Soviet adventurism, from the Horn of Africa in the 1970s to Central America in the 1980s, showed no signs of lessening. Reagan was intent on stopping that trend—a trend, he believed, that President Carter had done little to reverse. Therefore, he adopted the vocabulary of the early Cold War, advocating policies equally aggressive and bold in range (Foreign Affairs). Reagan presented his vision at his State of the Union Address on February 6, 1985. "We must not break faith," he declared, "with those who are risking their lives—on every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaragua—to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth." The president went on to compare anticommunist forces with American colonists who had fought the revolutionary war, relating those early patriots as "freedom fighters" for democracy. Providing aid to those groups was not only ethically just but geopolitically sensible. "Support for freedom fighters," Reagan declared, "is self-defense." It would be months before those declarations would take form as a permanent statement of policy. In the short-term, a further promise to support "freedom fighters," made on February 22 by Secretary of State George Shultz to the Commonwealth...

Words: 3080 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Isis Economic Impact

...archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . University of California Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Asian Survey. http://www.jstor.org W i l l i a m a . Ca l l a h a n China’s Strategic Futures Debating the Post-American World Order a b S t r aC t This essay examines how China’s “harmonious world” foreign policy has unintentionally created opportunities for citizens to challenge elite discussions of foreign policy. Although they are relative outsiders, the essay argues that citizen intellectuals are a growing influence as a source of ideas about China’s future—and the world’s. K e y W o r d S : China, foreign policy, strategy, public intellectual, civil society Although we did not recognize it at the time, Beijing’s current assertive foreign policy started in September 2005 when Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered a major speech to a global audience at the United Nations. From the podium of the General Assembly, Hu introduced “Harmonious World” as a new concept of global politics...

Words: 11161 - Pages: 45

Free Essay

Rationality, Norms and Identity in Ir

...replace rationalism in explaining international political life. Constructivism maintains that identity or norms are causally prior to actors’ interests. Yet when there is conflict between pursuit of interests and maintenance of identity or norms, actors’ strong and well-defined self-interests can overrule their contested or unstable identity or norms. In short, causal arrows can flow in either direction between identity or norms and interests. This implies that rationalism and constructivism are complementary rather than competitive in explaining international political life. International Politics (2015) 52, 110–127. doi:10.1057/ip.2014.41 Keywords: rationalism; constructivism; rationality; norms; identity; international relations theory Introduction Since the 1990s, one of the major debates in International Relations (IR) scholarship has been between rationalism and constructivism (Katzenstein et al,...

Words: 8767 - Pages: 36

Premium Essay

Maritime Power of Chaina

...the Cold War of China’s grand strategy from landward security to seaward security, maritime security interests have gradually become the most essential part of China’s strategic rationale. Undoubtedly, the quest for sea power and sea rights has become Beijing’s main maritime strategic issue. Given China’s escalating maritime politico-economic-military leverage in the Asia-Pacific region, its desire to become a leading sea power embodying global strategic thinking means that it must expand its maritime strategy by developing its navy and preparing for armed confrontation in terms of international relations realism. Conversely, Beijing’s maritime policy leads at the same time towards globalization, which involves multilateralism and strategic coexistence of a more pragmatic kind. This research analyses Chinese maritime strategy in the Asia-Pacific by asking: ‘Whither the Chinese maritime strategy in the ever changing Asia-Pacific security environment since the PRC was established in 1949?’ In general, contemporary China’s national security strategy is closely connected with its maritime strategy and with its comprehensive security plan for its economy, its energy supplies and its...

Words: 115996 - Pages: 464

Premium Essay

Development of Laws and Customs

... (3) Theories Regarding the origin of Law (5) Legal Systems of the World (8) Custom (20) International Law (22) Annexure (28) Bibliography (33) Acknowledgment (34) Introduction There ought to be, and many times is, a close nexus between manmade law and justice – law should aim at justice. Laws should be the objective expressions of the nature of reality rather than merely the subjective prejudices or whims of some person, group of people, or society as a whole. Natural law is objective since it is inherent in the nature of the entity to which it relates. The content of natural law is accessible to human reason. For example, it is easily understood that since each man has a natural right to survive, flourish, and pursue his own happiness, no other man or group of men should attempt to deprive him of a chosen value or action through the initiation or threat of force. Historically, socially emergent ideas of legal principles, oftentimes in accord with the nature of reality, occurred prior to their adoption by political authorities. Voluntary forms of governance through customary private laws preexisted state law and effectively ordered human affairs. Law arose as a spontaneous order – something to be discovered rather than enacted. Law is an evolutionary systemic process involving the experiences of a vast number of people. There are different theories that...

Words: 8905 - Pages: 36

Premium Essay

Ir Theories

...Theories of International Relations Third edition Scott Burchill, Andrew Linklater, Richard Devetak, Jack Donnelly, Matthew Paterson, Christian Reus-Smit and Jacqui True Theories of International Relations This page intentionally left blank Theories of International Relations Third edition Scott Burchill, Andrew Linklater, Richard Devetak, Jack Donnelly, Matthew Paterson, Christian Reus-Smit and Jacqui True Material from 1st edition © Deakin University 1995, 1996 Chapter 1 © Scott Burchill 2001, Scott Burchill and Andrew Linklater 2005 Chapter 2 © Jack Donnelly 2005 Chapter 3 © Scott Burchill, Chapters 4 and 5 © Andrew Linklater, Chapters 6 and 7 © Richard Devetak, Chapter 8 © Christian Reus-Smit, Chapter 9 © Jacqui True, Chapter 10 © Matthew Paterson 2001, 2005 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright...

Words: 132890 - Pages: 532

Premium Essay

Research

...State Sovereignty and Regional * Institutionalism in the Asia Pacific Shaun Narine Working Paper No. 41, March 2005 * A revised version of the paper is scheduled to be published in The Pacific Review later this year. Recent Titles in the Working Paper Series No. 28 The Revolution in Military Affairs and Its Impact on Canada: The Challenge and the Consequences, by Andrew Richter, March 1999. No. 29 Law, Knowledge and National Interests in Trade Disputes: The Case of Softwood Lumber, by George Hoberg and Paul Howe, June 1999. No. 30 Geopolitical Change and Contemporary Security Studies: Contextualizing the Human Security Agenda, by Simon Dalby, April 2000. No. 31 Beyond the Linguistic Analogy: Norm and Action in International Politics, by Kai Alderson, May 2000. No. 32 The Changing Nature of International Institutions: The Case of Territoriality, by Kalevi J. Holsti, November 2000. No. 33 South Asian Nukes and Dilemmas of International Nonproliferation Regimes, by Haider K. Nizamani, December 2000. No. 34 Tipping the Balance: Theatre Missile Defence and the Evolving Security Relations in Northeast Asia, by Marc Lanteigne, January 2001. No. 35 Between War and Peace: Religion, Politics, and Human Rights in Early Cold War Canada, 1945-1950, by George Egerton, February 2001. No. 36 From Avignon to Schleswig and Beyond: Sovereignty and Referendums, by Jean Laponce, June 2001. No. 37 Advancing Disarmament in the Face of Great Power Reluctance: The Canadian Constitution...

Words: 12271 - Pages: 50

Premium Essay

International Marketing

...172 209 239 274 303 335 367 401 430 454 478 507 Contents List of figures List of tables List of mini case studies Acknowledgements 1 Introduction to International Marketing Introduction The nature of international marketing Contextual determinants of international marketing Historical development Definition of international marketing Relationship with other business fields A theoretical framework for international marketing Approaches to internationalization Factors causing internationalization The process of firms’ internationalization A holistic approach The motivation for firms to go international Trade theories and economic development Absolute advantage Comparative advantage The assumptions underlying the principles of comparative advantage International trade theories Classical trade theory The factor of proportion theory The product life cycle theory Foreign direct investment (FDI) The eclectic paradigm The impact of FDI on national economies The...

Words: 24769 - Pages: 100

Free Essay

2009-Report to Congress of the Us-China E and S Review Commission

...2009 REPORT TO CONGRESS of the U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION NOVEMBER 2009 Printed for the use of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.uscc.gov dkrause on GSDDPC29 with K1 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:23 Nov 10, 2009 Jkt 052771 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6012 Sfmt 6602 M:\USCC\2009\52771.XXX APPS06 PsN: 52771 M:\USCC\USChina.eps Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED 2. REPORT TYPE 01 NOV 2009 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 00-00-2009 to 00-00-2009 ...

Words: 185166 - Pages: 741

Premium Essay

Global Political Economy

...economy originated in moral philosophy (e.g. Adam Smith was Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow), it developed in the 18th century as the study of the economies of states — polities, hence political economy. In late nineteenth century, the term "political economy" was generally replaced by the term economics, used by those seeking to place the study of economy upon mathematical and axiomatic bases, rather than the structural relationships of production and consumption (cf. marginalism, Alfred Marshall). History of the term Originally, political economy meant the study of the conditions under which production was organized in the nation-states. The phrase économie politique (translated in English as political economy) first appeared in France in 1615 with the well known book by Antoyne de Montchrétien: Traicté de l’oeconomie politique. French physiocrats, Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx were some of the exponents of political economy. In 1805, Thomas Malthus became England's first professor of political economy, at the East India Company College, Haileybury, Hertfordshire. The world's first professorship in political economy was established in 1763 at the University of Vienna, Austria; Joseph von Sonnenfels was the first tenured professor. In the United States, political economy first was taught at the College of William and Mary; in 1784 Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations was a required textbook. Glasgow University, where Smith was chairman of Logic...

Words: 39122 - Pages: 157

Premium Essay

Analysis of Competition in the Mobile Phone Markets of the United States and Europe

...Analysis of Competition in the Mobile Phone Markets of the United States and Europe International Business Master's thesis Mika Husso 2011 Department of Management and International Business Aalto University School of Economics AALTO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS Department of Management and International business Master’s thesis ABSTRACT ANALYSIS OF COMPETITION IN THE MOBILE PHONE MARKETS OF THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE Competition in an economic context is a widely studied phenomenon with a significant body of accumulated research and theory. However, competition in the mobile phone industry, despite its prevalence in public discussion, has received significantly less attention in academic research. Within the international business (IB) context there are very few academic studies that seek to analyze and compare the different geographical mobile phone markets from the viewpoint of competition. This thesis examines competition in the mobile phone markets of the United States and Europe in light of interviews and secondary data covering years 2002 - 2011. The framework used for the analysis is founded on concepts drawn primarily from industrial organization (IO) economics, IB theory and microeconomics. The first part of the thesis gives an overview of the U.S. and European mobile phone markets and the second part focuses specifically on Nokia, its actions and performance on the U.S. market. The findings reveal that the U.S. and European mobile phone...

Words: 30791 - Pages: 124

Premium Essay

Mobile Phone Market

...Analysis of Competition in the Mobile Phone Markets of the United States and Europe International Business Master's thesis Mika Husso 2011 Department of Management and International Business Aalto University School of Economics AALTO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS Department of Management and International business Master’s thesis ABSTRACT ANALYSIS OF COMPETITION IN THE MOBILE PHONE MARKETS OF THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE Competition in an economic context is a widely studied phenomenon with a significant body of accumulated research and theory. However, competition in the mobile phone industry, despite its prevalence in public discussion, has received significantly less attention in academic research. Within the international business (IB) context there are very few academic studies that seek to analyze and compare the different geographical mobile phone markets from the viewpoint of competition. This thesis examines competition in the mobile phone markets of the United States and Europe in light of interviews and secondary data covering years 2002 - 2011. The framework used for the analysis is founded on concepts drawn primarily from industrial organization (IO) economics, IB theory and microeconomics. The first part of the thesis gives an overview of the U.S. and European mobile phone markets and the second part focuses specifically on Nokia, its actions and performance on the U.S. market. The findings reveal that the U.S. and European mobile phone...

Words: 30791 - Pages: 124

Premium Essay

Buyers Behaviour

...479 479 International Journal of Advertising, 30(3), pp. 479–507 © 2011 Advertising Association Published by Warc, www.warc.com DOI: 10.2501/IJA-30-3-479-507 Young adults’ responses to product placement in movies and television shows A comparative study of the United States and South Korea Taejun (David) lee Bradley University Yongjun Sung and Sejung Marina Choi University of Texas at Austin This research examines young adults’ attitudes towards product placement in films and television shows from two countries that represent contrasting cultural distinctions: the US and Korea. The results suggest that young adults in both countries perceive film product placement in a similar way but, with respect to television, Korean respondents tend to perceive it as less effective in enhancing content realism and more unethical and misleading. In addition, the findings suggest that, for both film and TV, material- ism, attitude towards advertising, and realism enhancement appeared to be significant predictors of consumer cognitive response to product placement. However, cross-cultural differences were observed for TV product placement. In the US, materialism and real- ism enhancement were found to be most powerful predictors of cognitive response to product placement. In contrast, attitude towards advertising and materialism were found to be the strongest predictors in Korea. Implications for both advertising researchers and practitioners are provided. Introduction Movies have almost...

Words: 10824 - Pages: 44

Free Essay

China Fragile Superpower

...system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shirk, Susan L. China: fragile superpower / by Susan L. Shirk. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-530609-5 1. Nationalism—China. 2. China—Politics and government—2002– I. Title. JC311.S525 2007 320.951—dc22 2006027998 135798642 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For Sam, Lucy, and David Popkin This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Strong Abroad but Fragile at Home China’s Economic Miracle Domestic Threats 35 13 The Echo Chamber of Nationalism: Media and the Internet 79 The Responsible Power 105 Japan: “When the Chinese People Get Angry, the Result Is Always Big Trouble” 140 Taiwan: “A Question of Regime Survival” 181 The United States:...

Words: 135807 - Pages: 544