whether a state is an offensive realism state or a defensive realism state is important. Hong Kong was declared in 1997 an autonomous “system” within China, but it was always more than that. Since the 2001 release of Mearsheimer's “The Tragedy of Greater Power Politics,” structural realism has broken into two parts, offensive and defensive realism (Gamble, 2019). Whether China and Russia act according to the precepts of offensive realism or defensive realism will have an impact on American and European policies toward these two powers. Discussions of both the Chinese Navy and China’s rise generally continue to be dominated by offensive realist thinking. The concept has the potential to transform the economies of the Indo-Pacific region, and counter China’s BRI, if it is expressed and executed wisely. China had long had a strategy to preserve its claims in the SCS. From Offensive Realism to Defensive Realism: A Social Evolutionary Interpretation of China’s Security Strategy Offensive realism. [7] That is, it lacks a governing authority above and beyond the state. China is a defensive realist state It is necessary to identify the nature of the states involved to discover whether a security dilemma applies in the SCS, because security dilemmas only take place between defensive realist states.16 Although Tang mentions security dilemmas between two states, this For sure, defensive realists recognize that the international system creates strong incentives for states to want additional increments of power to ensure their survival. Specifically, China is trying to secure its Asian sphere of influence and acquire what it sees fit as necessary to defend a developing nation. Deterrence theory, yes; realism, no. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Defensive realism predicts that China will eventually stop its expansion even though China has yet to slow down land reclamation. Offensive realist rise of China? Defensive realism points towards “structural modifiers” such as the security dilemma and geography, and elite beliefs and perceptions to explain the outbreak of conflict. Whether China and Russia act according to the precepts of offensive realism or defensive realism will have an impact on American and European policies toward these two powers. Reading examples of offensive realism? defensive purposes, but in the end, rest of the world’s great powers will react to China’s growing strength by bal ancing its power (Mearsheimer 2010: 384 – 385). Read More. WORD COUNT:2496. The tragedy of offensive realism: Classical realism and the rise of China Realism is one of the most dominant international relations theories in the academic world. U.S.-China relations, America has been in a superior position that enabled it to enjoy more power and influence. Abstract. critical theory can better account for China’s foreign policy than other theoretical postulations. Because all states seek security through power maximization, China will clash with the United States for regional hegemony in Asia. pressing issues in the security structure of Asia. Offensive Realism For offensive realists, security is scarce. Since the 2001 release of Mearsheimer's “The Tragedy of Greater Power Politics,” structural realism has broken into two parts, offensive and defensive realism (Gamble, 2019). Mearsheimer argues that that there is no way to accurately predict China’s current or future intentions (Mearsheimer 2010, 382-383), that it is difficult to distinguish between China’s defensive and offensive military capabilities (Mearsheimer 2010, 383-384), and that China’s past peaceful behavior is an unreliable indicator of future behavior (Mearsheimer 2010, 384-385). Trump’s New Realism in China Critics aside, the administration does have a strategy, and it is based on reciprocity. The author will first discuss the origins of realism in international This theory sees China as a state seeking power, and eventually hegemony, in its region. Time for Reset and Realism in the South China Sea. John Mearsheimer is one of these pessimists and arguably one of the most prominent skeptics of China’s “peaceful rise” (referring to China’s foreign policy which has sought to mitigate the “China Threat” school of thought). Underpinning his skepticism of China’s peaceful rise is a compelling formulation of offensive realism. The central feature of the international structure between China and the US is the sensitive power transition tendency with which the US as the current only superpower worrying to be challenged by the rising powers including China. It encourages adopting a reassurance policy to reach a peaceful resolution to the SCS disputes between China, the other claimants, and the United States. Time for Reset and Realism in the South China Sea. Other scholars have gone as far to say that An imbalance resulting from a state pursuing dominance is counterbalanced by other states seeking to maintain the status quo. Which school of realism contends that states always seek dominant power? The invoking of realism as a framework often happens in the description of the relationship between China and Japan. Neo-realism and the Balance of Power in Southeast Asia 2016 6 paradigm. However, defensive realism is a more nuanced explanation of China’s rise and the operations of its navy. They are also two representatives for defensive realism and offensive realism subdivisions of structural realism. After the South China Sea arbitration ruling, uncertainty and friction may increase in the region. Research in this book provides significant support to the defensive realist theory vis-à-vis offensive realism. Realism, revisionism, and the great powers. Realism and common sense necessary in Hong Kong and mainland China. In which stipulated to prevent the actions leading to escalating the conflicts in the SCS. Stephen Walt (left) is an American professor of international affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and a famous defensive realist. When I emphasize the vindication of classical realism theory, I don’t deny the noble and However, defensive realism is a … Defensive realism also conceptualizes that vital interests of a nation-state would be best protected if the nation-state accumulates power without necessarily projecting it beyond its borders (or sphere of influence). South Korean President. China Needs Imperial Realism on Hong Kong. Offensive realism Last updated December 17, 2019. But within Realism, Realists are split on a number of issues. China’s Intentions as Non-transparent and Malign, and Changing Domestic Consensus Representatives Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) emphasized a need for strong engagement in Washington between the political parties, and for focused U.S. … Defensive realism predicts that China will eventually stop its expansion even though China has yet to slow down land reclamation. Sam Seitz *This post is modified from my paper, Offense or Defense: That is… Instructions Pt. From the analytical point of view, the thesis divided into two parts. In the European Journal of International Relations, Jonathan Kirshner notes in his article The tragedy of offensive realism: Classical realism and the rise of China, that there is no good reason to believe that if China is a rational actor, motivated primarily to survive, it would embark upon a bid for hegemony. American foreign policies were therefore more offensive; in contrast, China was relatively weak in power and defensive in policy. The international system punishes aggressors according to defensive realists. The paper finds that far from being an aggressive, hegemonic and a revisionist state, China is a status quo power that aims to preserve its position in the international system rather than upset it. Can structural realism provide a satisfactory explanation for China’s foreign policy?China scholars have often criticized the work of social scientists, especially those relying on abstract theories, for ignoring the special features of the Chinese case. Defensive realism contends that states navigate through anarchy by balancing their power through arms race or capability-building. Introduction. The argument of this paper is that in the anarchical international system, states do not seek security as defensive and offensive realism … The scholars who use power transition theory or offensive realism to discussion of China is a description of how the PRC views its geostrategic environment. Discussions of both the Chinese Navy and China’s rise generally continue to be dominated by offensive realist thinking. The main pillars of the analysis of China's and India's policy towards each other and towards the common buffer zone present in the thesis are offensive and defensive realism in combination with the geopolitics of buffer zones. The South China Sea issue provides a perfect example of a security dilemma which has arisen as a result of defensive realist motivations taken on by the East Asian states. Kirshner, J. I basically argued that the present international context makes it more feasible to study China’s foreign policy under the critical paradigm than more traditional IR theories like realism or neoliberalism. US actions such as bringing aircraft carriers to the Asia pacific and arming countries such as Japan and Taiwan but have defensive reasons given by US authorities, however, the Chinese would have great reason to interpret it as strategies of offensive rather than defensive realism. However, defensive realism is a more nuanced explanation of China’s rise and the operations of its navy. The book will be useful for policymakers, academics, researchers and students. If China is behaving in accordance with a Confucian strategic culture, we should expect to see an attempt to solve its maritime disputes in an overall defensive manner where the use of force would be “reluctant, reactive, and defensive.” 14 1 • You have will be placed into one of four groups. While there are different types of Realism, [6] proponents such as Kenneth Waltz and Hans J. Morgenthau agree on the pessimistic assumption that human nature is selfish and the international system is anarchic. Realist Perspectives on the Rise of China. Thus, classical realism might provide a more rational perspective of China’s rise as a world power. consistent with the theory of defensive realism. As the President stated, “principled realism” is how America engages with the world, and thus how it is rethinking foreign aid strategy. Section IV examines China’s security strategy under Mao and China’s security strategy under Deng and his successors, underscoring the fundamental differences between the two strategies through the lens of offensive realism and defensive realism. - USA: Philippines, South Korea, Japan against month Korea and China. As compared to offensive realism, defensive realism is biased towards preserving the existing balance of power. However, realism fails to account for the tensions caused by China’s attempts to change international norms, making constructivism the best theoretical framework for explaining relations between the two nations. The PLAN itself was founded in 1949 and has evolved in … It is to avoid one. Offensive realists see rising China as a main cause of global instability in the 21st century. Implicitly, defensive realism considers international politics a more peaceful arena wherein the top priority of states is not to maximize power, but to preserve security. This is because as China builds up more capabilities in the region through the construction of airstrips and marine bases on the new artificial islands, so too do its hostile neighbors. To take an American example of defensive realism, think of America’s role in Latin America. China adopted a … A perfect example of which being the rise of China. J. Mearsheimer. Literature Review: China through the Lens of Realism PART I: Introduction China’s massive growth has been paralleled by only that of the United States in recent history. Confucian pacifism hypothesis: 1. Offensive realism is a structural theory belonging to the neorealist school of thought put forward by John Mearsheimer [1] in response to defensive realism.Offensive realism holds that the anarchic nature of the international system is responsible for the promotion of aggressive state behavior in international politics. Time For Realism In U.S.-China Relations "The point of the new realism is not to force a conflict with China. China’s behavior is difficult to understand solely, or even primarily, through a “realist” lens. States are rational and cooperate States all act uniformly for power but can gain it … Offensive Realism For offensive realists, security is scarce. Offensive realism is a structural theory belonging to the neorealist school of thought put forward by John Mearsheimer in response to defensive realism.Offensive realism holds that the anarchic nature of the international system is responsible for the promotion of aggressive state behavior in international politics. John Mearsheimer (right) is an American political scientist at the University of Chicago and founder of offensive realism. All of this said, defensive realism is optimistic that China can rise peacefully, except for the dangers generated by Taiwan. USA entering Iraq as a result of 9/11. Kim Jong-un. Because defensive realism finds that the pressures generated by international structure will allow China to rise peacefully, regional issues that could derail this promising trajectory become more important. It is to avoid one. A school of realism that says states seek enough power to be secure. Can analysts fruitfully apply realism to Asia and examine the implications of the rise of China for world politics? Chan, S. 2004. US is dominant state and is going to continue to keep China down, so China will try to become regional hegemony and try to overtake the US. Keywords: Rise of China, Rising Power, China, Offensive Realism, Liberal World Order, Peaceful Rise of China, Unpeaceful Rise of China, Mearsheimer, Ikenberry. In his book, Waltz elaborates a set of core principles of Grounding my analysis in defensive realism and its more general rational variant therefore has significant implications for U.S. policy. The original wording of Waltz of neorealism is now occasionally renamed defensive realism, and the update of the Mearsheimer principle is considered offensive realism. Hong Kong political commentator Leung Man-tao looks back in Chinese modern history and recent happenings to conclude that Chinese people often disregard realism and common sense when faced with nationwide campaigns. In contrast, offensive realism assumes that states seek to maximize their power and influence to achieve security through domination and hegemony. While classical realism must be wary and pessimistic regarding the consequences of China’s rise, its perspective nevertheless leads to the conclusion that engaging rather than confronting China is the wisest strategy, in the only context that ever matters to realist analysis — that strategy compared to the likely consequences of other options. Furthermore, the idea of jing gho, and thus a defensive zone, consists of Taiwan, all portions of mainland China, and arguably many of the defensive rather than offensive realism. 4 (2010): 381–96; and Tang Shiping, “From Offensive to Defensive Realism: A Social Evolutionary Interpretation of China’s Security Strategy,” in China’s Ascent: Power, Security, and the Future of International Politics, ed. The paper argues that China’s behaviour displays elements of defensive rather than offensive realism. 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