China’s Role in the “Liberal System”
In the current issue of Foreign Affairs, G. John Ikenberry(^1) discusses the potential assimilation of China as a great power in the post-WWII “Liberal System” in his article titled “The Rise of China and the Future of the West: Can the Liberal System Survive?” He offers a series of policy directions that could encourage China to adopt the rules of international affairs as designed by the West after WWII. The majority of ideas revolve around institutionalizing and codifying the current system while the United States is on top. By adhering to the rules of the system (rather than acting unilaterally) and generating incentives for Chinese involvement, Ikenberry maintains that the United States can create an international order that the Chinese would have/want to accept.
However, Ikenberry fails to describe what, besides normative pressures, will keep a hegemonic China operating within the post-WWII system once it obtains regional hegemony. The United States demonstrated that unilateral policies outside international norms are not punished when committed by the hegemon. Why should China expect the International Community to react differently in its case? If China, or any other nation, becomes a powerful enough hegemon to challenge and change a regional balance of power, will the International Community stop the change? Can it?
If the United States expects China to accept and function within the Liberal System, it needs to reflect relative power-balances. To some extent, it already does, but more work needs to be done. I began developing this idea in the “Realist Playground” from a while back. I will try to develop it further in upcoming posts.
Take home message: Ikenberry gets part-way to the answer. China’s role in the evolving international community needs to be considered, however the United States needs to understand the rules of the game are shifting as it loses its unipolar moment.
Notes:
1. Although I disagree with G. John Ikenberry, he is an amazing scholar. His book, After Victory, helped me make a lot of connections in IR theory during Grad School. To some extent, it is the academic version of the recently-praised Shock Doctrine. Check out a chapter on his website at: http://www.princeton.edu/~gji3/publications.html.
