Classical Realism in the Case of China

• In Event: Outgoing China: Domestic Politics and International Implications

Abstract

Recent developments in China’s rise have prompted a reevaluation in several prominent positions in international relations. The direction of many of these retrenchments implicitly draw on elements of classical realism, which deserves a more prominent position in the field’s understanding of China’s behavior. Classical realism explains how policy entrepreneurs can aggregate power and centralize control over foreign policy. China’s behavior in the South and East China Seas reflects the growing salience of nationalism in its foreign policy, expressed and leveraged by Xi Jinping. As China’s power grows, its foreign policy increasingly reflects China’s enduring preferences and characteristics like nationalism whose international expression is heavily influenced by key policy entrepreneurs. Chinese foreign policy also responds to international competition – particularly in its immediate neighborhood. These dynamics are reflected in a classical realist framework that links domestic politics with China’s foreign policy. We find that China’s actions in the Western Pacific reflect a classical realist logic.

Authors

• William J. Norris, Texas A&M University

• Kerby Davis, University of Notre Dame