The Rise of China Through the Lens of Realism

Abstract

China has experienced drastic growth on a number of fronts over the course of the last several decades. As a military contender, an economic player, and a political influencer, China has risen to become one of the top power in the world. China’s transformation has become a topic of discussion in the scholarly community and well beyond. In the recent United States’ Presidential Election, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama extensively discussed the importance of China in the international system and how the United States ought to respond. China’s significance in international affairs has been recognized not only by political leaders and media; China has become a large part of conversation amongst international relations theorists as well.

Of the scholarly work that has been done on the rise of China, the international relations theory of realism has received a large amount of attention. The research and corresponding literature review that I have undertaken attempts to display the various efforts by realist scholars to analyze the current and future state of China. Additionally, my review portrays the differences between scholars as well as the strengths and shortcomings of their respective arguments.

The research included in this endeavor includes, but is not limited to, an analysis of how neo-realism, classical realism, and neoclassical realism perceive China and how they will interact with the international community in the future. The review provides an in-depth case study on how the various tenets of realism apply directly to one of the biggest international topics of the 21^st century: the rise of China.