Theory and Policy in Sino-U.S. Relations

Scholars of international relations are struggling to keep abreast of the rapid changes in Northeast Asian international relations. Different theoretical schools of thought produce competing conclusions about the drivers and implications of China's rising economic and political influence. Policy makers, meanwhile, are similarly divided in their interpretations. The result is that both scholarly analysis and policy prescriptions end up hedging between Realist-inspired solutions and Liberal-inflected aspirations.