This week's readings on the rise, fall, and role of great powers were extremely interesting and enlightening. The US's role as a hegemon on the international stage has been widely debated and contested, and as all empires must fall, the world is looking to see which state will be the next great hegemon. With the world's largest population and one of the largest, if not the largest, economy in the world, China has seemed a more and more likely candidate in the past decade.
However, many scholars don't see this as a likely outcome. In his article "Hegemonic transition in East Asia? The dynamics of Chinese and American power" Mark Beeson outlines several reasons behind China's meteoric rise to power, such as favorable US foreign policy, multilateral regional engagement, realist military policy, and "soft-balancing" their foreign policy toward cooperative international behavior. While these policies may have encouraged their strong economic growth, Beeson argues that they have their limits when it comes to complete international hegemony. Beeson cites China's lack of cohesive values and vision, the US's continued dominance over international financial institutions, and China's own limit when it comes to finite resources in economic development as reasons why China isn't quite ready to take on the role of hegemon.
Though China may not be on the path to hegemony yet, the US-China relationship is one of the most important bilateral international relationships that exists today. This strategic economic partnership is responsible for China's booming economy and the US's reliance on consumerism. As both economies continue to grow, it will be interesting to see what the future holds.
Beeson, Mark. "Hegemonic Transition in East Asia? The Dynamics of Chinese and American Power." Review of International Studies Rev. Int. Stud. 35.01 (2009): 95-112. Web
No comments:
Post a Comment