This article discusses a documentary film exploring the contrasting views of prominent international relations theorists John Mearsheimer and Joseph Nye on the rise of China and the appropriate US response. The film highlights how their personal experiences in China shaped their understanding of US-China relations.
Mearsheimer, representing Offensive Realism, argues that a rising China is inherently destined to challenge US hegemony due to structural factors.
Nye, a proponent of Liberal Institutionalism, believes that US-China relations can be managed effectively through diplomacy and international organizations.
The film suggests that a balanced approach incorporating elements of both Realism and Liberalism may be necessary for navigating the complexities of US-China relations. The documentary emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical contexts and personal perspectives that have shaped the dominant theories in the field.
John Mearsheimer and Joseph S. Nye Jr. on the rise of China and America’s engagement policy.
The rise of China is the key issue of the 21st century. Can China rise peacefully? Has America’s engagement policy created a peer competitor? How should the U.S. respond to Beijing’s island-building in the South China Sea, and its institution-building in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)?
This short documentary film (19 minutes) by Bill Callahan examines how the personal experiences of iconic IR theorists John Mearsheimer (Chicago) and Joseph S. Nye, Jr. (Harvard) on their first trips to China have framed their strategic understandings of U.S.-China relations. Are Offensive Realists like Mearsheimer correct that a rising China is structurally determined to challenge the hegemonic U.S.? Can U.S.-China relations be managed through diplomacy and international organisations, as the Liberal Institutionalists argue? Or does America’s China policy need a combination of Realism and Liberalism, as Nye suggests?
Bill Callahan is professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His films can be viewed at www.vimeo.com/billcallahan.
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