Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers

A prominent foreign policy thinker uses Chinese political theory to explain why some powers rise while others decline, and what this means for the international order. He argues that the stronger a rising state's political leadership, the more likely it is to displace a prevailing state in the international system. The book also considers the reasons for America's diminishing international stature even as its economy, education system, military, political institutions, and technology hold steady.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 280 pages
\n Publication date: 09 April 2019
\n Publisher: Princeton University Press
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While much attention has been paid to the decline of great powers in international relations, little attention has been given to their rise. The upward trajectory of China is particularly puzzling, as it has grown increasingly important in the world arena while lagging behind the United States and its allies in certain sectors. Borrowing ideas of political determinism from ancient Chinese philosophers, Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers offers a novel explanation for China's expanding influence.

Yan Xuetong, the author, presents a moral-realist theory that attributes the rise and fall of nations to political leadership. He demonstrates that the stronger a rising state's political leadership, the more likely it is to displace a prevailing state in the international system.

Political leadership, according to Yan, is defined through the lens of morality, specifically the ability of a government to fulfill its domestic responsibilities and maintain international strategic credibility. He examines leadership at the personal, national, and international levels, showing how rising states like China transform the international order by reshaping power distribution and norms.

Yan also considers the reasons for America's diminishing international stature, even as its economy, education system, military, political institutions, and technology hold steady. He argues that the polarization of China and the United States will not result in another Cold War scenario, but their mutual distrust will ultimately drive the world center from Europe to East Asia.

Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers offers a provocative analysis of the factors contributing to the rise of China and the decline of America in the international system. It provides a valuable perspective on the complex dynamics of global power relations and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

\n Weight: 552g\n
Dimension: 163 x 243 x 29 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780691190082\n \n