As China grows ever-stronger, many are asking what its future place on the world stage will be, and whether China will replace the existing world order or just co-opt it. This is the central question of G. John Ikenberry’s essay, excerpted here. From Foreign Affairs:
The rise of China will undoubtedly be one of the great dramas of the twenty-first century. China’s extraordinary economic growth and active diplomacy are already transforming East Asia, and future decades will see even greater increases in Chinese power and influence. But exactly how this drama will play out is an open question. Will China overthrow the existing order or become a part of it? And what, if anything, can the United States do to maintain its position as China rises? [Full text]
G. John Ikenberry is Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and the author of After Victory: Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order After Major Wars.
The January/February 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs also includes articles on China’s possible democratization, its foreign relations, and its world economic role.
