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RUNNING HEAD
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The Post-Cold War
International System
The end of the Cold War has opened up a ‘real world laboratory’ in
which to test and refine general theories of international relations. Using
the frameworks provided by structural realism, institutionalism and liberalism, The Post-Cold War International System examines how major
powers responded to the collapse of the Soviet Union and developed their
foreign policies over the period of post-Cold War transition.
The book argues that the democratic peace has begun to generate
powerful socialization effects, due to the emergence of a critical mass of
liberal democratic states since the end of the Cold War. The trend this
has produced is similar to a pattern that classical realists have interpreted
as ‘bandwagoning’ within a unipolar power structure. Case studies of
Germany, China and Japan – identified as key states with the potential
to challenge US dominance – provide evidence to support the assessment
of international change. The author concludes by exploring the implications of September 11 for the analysis developed.
This important volume argues that the end of the Cold War was a
major historical turning point in the development of world politics with
fundamental implications for the basic way in which the dynamics of the
international system are conceptualized. It will interest all students and
researchers of international politics.
Ewan Harrison is the Hedley Bull Junior Research Fellow at St Anne’s
College, University of Oxford.
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The New International Relations
Edited by Barry Buzan, London School of Economics and
Richard Little, University of Bristol
The field of international relations has changed dramatically in recent
years. This new series will cover the major issues that have emerged and
reflect the latest academic thinking in this particular dynamic area.
International Law, Rights and Politics
Developments in Eastern Europe and the CIS
Rein Mullerson
The Logic of Internationalism
Coercion and accommodation
Kjell Goldmann
Russia and the Idea of Europe
A study in identity and international relations
Iver B. Neumann
The Future of International Relations
Masters in the making?
Edited by Iver B. Neumann and Ole Wæver
Constructing the World Polity
Essays on international institutionalization
John Gerard Ruggie
Realism in International Relations and International Political Economy
The continuing story of a death foretold
Stefano Guzzini
International Relations, Political Theory and the Problem of Order
Beyond international relations theory?
N.J. Rengger
War, Peace and World Orders in European History
Edited by Anja V. Hartmann and Beatrice Heuser
European Integration and National Identity
The challenge of the Nordic states
Edited by Lene Hansen and Ole Wæver
Shadow Globalization, Ethnic Conflicts and New Wars
A political economy of intra-state war
Dietrich Jung
Contemporary Security Analysis and Copenhagen Peace Research
Edited by Stefano Guzzini and Dietrich Jung
Observing International Relations
Niklas Luhmann and world politics
Edited by Mathias Albert and Lena Hilkermeier
Does China Matter? A Reassessment
Essays in memory of Gerald Segal
Edited by Barry Buzan and Rosemary Foot
European Approaches to International Relations Theory
A house with many mansions
Jörg Friedrichs
The Post-Cold War International System
Strategies, institutions and reflexivity
Ewan Harrison
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The Post-Cold War
International System
Strategies, institutions and
reflexivity
Ewan Harrison
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First published 2004
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004.
© 2004 Ewan Harrison
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Harrison, Ewan, 1973–
The post-Cold War international system: strategies, institutions,
and reflexivity/Ewan Harrison.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. International relations. 2. World politics – 1989– I. Title.
JZ1305.H37 2004
2003026280
327′.09′049–dc22
ISBN 0-203-36623-9 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-67118-X (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0–415–32836–5 (Print Edition)
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For if by good fortune one powerful and enlightened nation can form a
republic (which by its nature is inclined to seek perpetual peace), this will
become a focal point for federal association among other states. These
will join up with the first one . . . and the whole will gradually spread
further and further through a series of alliances of this kind.
Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace:
A Philosophical Sketch*
* Reiss, H. (ed.) (1991) Kant’s Political Writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
p. 104.
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Contents
List of illustrations
Series editor’s preface
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
1
Introduction
ix
x
xiii
xix
xxi
1
Theoretical framework 4
Operationalizing liberal predictions 14
Chapter structure 22
2
Reassessing the logic of anarchy: rationality versus
reflexivity
28
The neorealist model 30
The institutionalist model 33
The liberal model 36
Towards a general synthesis 40
Conclusions 48
3
German foreign policy after the Cold War
50
Neorealism 51
Institutionalism 57
Liberalism 1: domestic variation 61
Liberalism 2: Germany’s choices 65
4
Japanese foreign policy after the Cold War
Neorealism 70
Institutionalism 76
Liberalism 1: domestic variation 79
Liberalism 2: Japan’s choices 83
70
viii Contents
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5
Chinese foreign policy after the Cold War
91
Neorealism 91
Institutionalism 97
Liberalism 1: domestic variation 100
Liberalism 2: China’s choices 106
6
Conclusions
112
International relations theory after the Cold War 113
General patterns of institutionalized activity 121
Foreign policy adjustments 128
Postscript: September 11, 2001 and its aftermath
137
Bibliography
Index
149
166
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Illustrations
Figures
2.1
2.2
6.1
6.2
The linear model
The triangular model
Reflexivity in the international system (Part A)
Reflexivity in the international system (Part B)
41
42
118
134
Tables
1.1
2.1
6.1
6.2
Summary of theories and predictions
Summary of theoretical framework
General patterns of institutionalized activity
State strategies 1989–1999
23
40
121
128
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Series editor’s preface
It is generally acknowledged that almost all theorists and practitioners
were taken by surprise not only by the speed with which the Soviet Union
and its empire in Eastern Europe collapsed at the end of the twentieth
century, but also by the relatively peaceful transfer of power when the
established communist regimes gave way to the emergent post-communist
regimes. Experts on Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union completely failed
to anticipate these dramatic events that precipitated the end of the Cold
War, but so too did theorists in international relations. To the extent that
there had been any previous discussion of a Soviet collapse in the field
of international relations, the fear was that the demise of the Soviet system
would be accompanied by an irrational nuclear strike on the West.
As the Cold War recedes into the past, however, international systems’ theorists are starting to make sense of what happened at the end of
the Cold War, and to get a grasp on subsequent developments in the postCold War era. But the discipline of international relations has still not
come to any consensus about either the theoretical or the practical implications of the ending of the Cold War. And it is not likely to do so in
the near future because the discipline is so deeply divided on theoretical,
normative and policy fronts.
Realists and institutionalists have developed two broadly competing
positions. From the theoretical perspective of the institutionalists, the end
of the Cold War and the elimination of the Soviet Union left the structure and character of the international system essentially unchanged
because during the course of the twentieth century a wide array of multilateral institutions came into existence that had crucial and system defining
consequences. The survival of these institutions into the post-Cold War
era has ensured that this crucial feature of the international system remains
unaltered. Realists, however, start from a very different theoretical perspective, and argue that the essentially bipolar world that prevailed
throughout the Cold War has given way to a radically different unipolar
world in the post-Cold War era. But although most realists agree on this
basic position, they are then sharply divided between those who argue
that this unipolar world is inherently unstable and will eventually give
Series editor’s preface xi
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way to a multipolar world and those who insist that there are a variety
of factors that are likely to ensure that unipolarity will persist for some
considerable time.
In this book Ewan Harrison draws on these divergent positions in the
process of articulating a liberal theoretical perspective. Although he builds
on the work of previous theorists, this is the most developed and sophisticated attempt yet made to articulate a distinctive liberal approach to
systemic theorizing and it enables him to throw new light on systemic
developments in the post-Cold War period.
In the process of developing the theory, moreover, Harrison makes a
number of important moves that allows him to position the liberal
approach at the centre of any attempt to theorize about the international
system. In the first instance, the debates surrounding Waltz’s neorealism
are used as a springboard for developing this liberal systemic theory.
Contrary to mainstream interpretations, Harrison insists that neorealism
eschews rationality and instead relies on the reflexive processes associated
with emulation and socialization. But whereas neorealists assert that these
processes necessarily push states to adopt balancing strategies, Harrison
accepts Wendt’s constructivist argument that a change in the prevailing
identity of states in the international system can affect the process of
socialization within the international system and give rise to a change in
system outcome. If it is accepted, for example, that after the end of the
Cold War, a critical mass of liberal democratic states has come to dominate the international system, then the end of the Cold War can also be
associated with a major system change, but a very different kind of change
to the one highlighted by the realists.
Having established the theoretical framework, Harrison goes on to apply
the theory to the foreign policies of three key states – Germany, Japan
and China – during the first decade of the post-Cold War world. It reveals
that all three states have had difficulty adjusting to the changes in the
character of the international system. But he also looks at these case
studies through realist and institutionalist lenses and reveals their strengths
and weaknesses for understanding the foreign policies of these states in
systemic terms. One of the many strengths of this book is the way that
Harrison strives to find links between the different approaches, using them
all as building blocks, that allow us to develop a more comprehensive
picture of the post-Cold War international system.
Harrison, however, is also very aware that he is shooting at a moving
target and that much has happened in the international system since the
time period examined in this book. In a very illuminating postscript, rather
than attempting to bring the case studies up to date, he draws on his liberal theory in conjunction with realism and institutionalism to reflect on
the implications of the US responses to the events of September 11, 2001,
and, in particular, the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq. Harrison frankly
acknowledges that both realism and institutionalism can be drawn upon to
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Series editor’s preface
provide interesting accounts of what has happened since 2001. But he also
argues that what the liberal model suggests is that, like Germany, Japan
and China, the United States has also had difficulty adjusting to the changes
in the international system associated with the ending of the Cold War.
Whether the failure of a hegemonic state to adjust will cause the international system itself to regress remains to be seen.
Richard Little
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Preface
It is often remarked that although Stephen Walt’s balance of threat
theory was intended as a refinement of Kenneth Waltz’s balance of
power theory, it actually served to undermine it. Conventional balance
of power theory associated with neorealism assumes that balancing behaviour emerges in response to the distribution of material resources amongst
states in the international system (Waltz 1979). In an anarchic context, units
that are more powerful will pose a threat to others. States will consequently
have no choice but to ‘assume the worst’ and balance against more
powerful rivals in order to maintain their independence and autonomy.
Paradoxically, therefore, the chronic insecurity of the international system
is such that it encourages states to join the weaker rather than the stronger
coalition of forces that it faces. Walt sought to elaborate on this account
of alliance formation by incorporating a role for geographic proximity,
offensive capabilities and, most significantly perhaps, offensive intentions
into Waltz’s structural framework (Walt 1984). Walt therefore blurred the
rigid unit-structure distinction at the core of Waltz’s system level argument,
and introduced a significant role for unit level variables in influencing the
decisions of states to balance or bandwagon. Walt’s ideas were the first in
a long line of literature reviving the classical realist perspective, a theoretical movement frequently referred to, perhaps somewhat inelegantly, as
‘neoclassical realism’ (Brown et al. 1995b; Rose 1998). However, constructivists have subsequently noted that if identity based influences are
indeed systematic determinants of state behaviour, then this weighs heavily in favour of Wendt’s argument that anarchy is ‘what states make of
it’ rather than being inevitably characterized by vigorous competition for
security and/or power.
The observation that Walt’s balance of threat approach has potentially
revolutionary implications for systemic theory is often made, but has
seldom been developed in a systematic fashion. This book may be read
as a comprehensive attempt to pursue this line of inquiry in relation
to the grand strategies pursued by the major powers over the post-Cold
War period. It develops the argument that with the collapse of the Soviet
Union, a critical mass of liberal states has emerged at a global level. The
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Preface
democratic peace has consequently begun to generate powerful socialization effects that encourage states at the margins of cultural change to
adopt shifts in their identity. This feeds back into the properties of
the system by strengthening the dominance of the liberal core. A selfperpetuating positive feedback loop is created that locks in progressive
change and opens up a permissive space in which further development is
encouraged. At this stage, the system thus achieves reflexivity, defined by
Wendt as a capacity for critical self-reflection and cultural change on the
part of units. This theoretical framework is utilized to account for the
way in which three major powers responded to the collapse of the Soviet
Union and developed their foreign policies since the end of the Cold War.
Behaviour interpreted by classical (or ‘neoclassical’) realists as bandwagoning within a unipolar structure is better interpreted in terms of the
norm cascade generated by the emergence of a stable core of liberal democratic states within the international system. Whilst socialization
pressures are subject to domestic cultural and institutional variation, the
historical momentum generated by systemic trends is encouraging each
of the major powers to adjust their domestic political structures and
internalize cultural change.
An argument is therefore made that the end of the Cold War may be
understood as reflecting a major historical turning point in the development of world politics, and as having fundamental implications for the
basic way in which the dynamics of the international system are conceptualized. The empirical focus is on the initial decade of the post-Cold War
transition between 1989 and 1999. This historical juncture presents a
logical, if inevitably somewhat arbitrary, cut off point for the project. The
decision to end the research project at the close of 1999 has been further
complicated by the course of recent international history. The events of
September 11, 2001 and the subsequent US military interventions in
Afghanistan and Iraq have presented major global crises that have impacted
in very important ways on the dynamics of the international system that
has been emerging since the end of the Cold War. In particular, the great
power bandwagoning trend that characterized the first decade of postCold War transition has appeared to wane, and structural conflicts of
interest between the major states have resurfaced as a much more predominant feature of international affairs. Neorealists will no doubt use this
turn of events to make their case that structural pressures encouraging
great power balancing will inevitably surface given enough time. Despite
the significance of recent developments for the underlying argument of
this book, the decision to take 1999 as the cut-off point for the project
remains reasonable and appropriate. It is sometimes noted that international crises are like trams in the sense that they pass regularly and
often. Recent events may have generated much interest and debate, but
given hindsight any time frame chosen would quickly become outdated.
Thus although the close of the first decade after the end of the Cold War
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is a somewhat unsatisfactory point of closure, it nonetheless represents as
good an historical perspective as any from which to survey the features
of the post-Cold War order. At the very least it provides an extended
period during which the major powers had an opportunity to adjust to
the ‘systemic shock’ posed by the Soviet collapse and adjust their grand
strategies accordingly.
Nevertheless, a postscript considering the major events that have
occurred in the international system in the period since 1999 has been
provided in order to provide a provisional assessment of their significance
for the thesis developed in the book. The postscript discusses two specific
issues. First, it analyses the extent to which September 11 may be considered comparable to the collapse of the Soviet Union in terms of its
significance for the study of international relations. The book develops
the argument that the Soviet collapse has fundamental implications for
how the dynamics of the international system are conceptualized, and
some commentators have made the parallel argument that September 11,
2001 should be understood in these terms. However, on inspection it is
not clear that this analysis stands scrutiny. If the 9/11 attacks are understood as a response to the residual elements of unipolarity in the post-Cold
War world, there are clear precedents for this pattern of events in conventional realist understandings of the international system. The postscript
also reflects on the significance of the apparent breakdown of the bandwagoning trend that characterized the first decade of post-Cold War
transition. It interprets the resurgence of power politics in the period
since September 2001 as reflecting an instance of failed learning by the
United States within the permissive post-Cold War international environment rather than as an inevitable product of America’s default status
as the world’s sole remaining superpower. In particular, recent trends
reflect ‘blowback’ generated by the decisions made by the United States
to maintain a Cold War defence posture in the post-Cold War world.
The asymmetrical costs imposed on the United States by this blowback
are likely over the longer term to encourage it to adjust its grand strategy
in more fundamental ways to meet the demands of the post-Cold War
era. This line of reasoning develops the argument put forward by institutionalists that a ‘boomerang effect’ will encourage the United States to
return to multilateral channels because of the risk of overstretch associated with pursuing a hegemonic strategy. However, it locates the cause
of overstretch in US domestic politics and its foreign policy choices since
1989, rather than in terms of a functional logic about the costs of system
management for the hegemon. It therefore presents a more volunturist
account of the dilemmas currently facing American foreign policy than
that associated with institutionalist theory.
This book draws heavily on constructivist theory to develop an argument about the distinctive character of the international system in the
post-Cold War period. One of the major criticisms of constructivism is
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Preface
that it has been unsuitable for use in the empirical analysis of world politics. An initial wave of constructivist literature has sought to respond
to this claim by demonstrating the utility of constructivist theory in
illuminating specific aspects of international relations (Katzenstein 1996).
Nevertheless, to date constructivism has failed to challenge realist arguments about overall patterns of alliance formation in the international
system. This book seeks to engage directly with this limitation by drawing
on the affinities that exist between classical/neoclassical realist analyses of
great power adjustments to the end of the Cold War and constructivist
arguments. Developments in the international system since 1999 have
underscored the necessarily provisional nature of this assessment of postCold War international relations. However, unless and until constructivist
scholars seek to challenge core realist claims about the dynamics displayed by the international system, constructivist thinking will remain
unnecessarily marginalized within the field. A related point regarding the
constructivist literature concerns the recent interest of constructivists in
state socialization and international norm dynamics. Alexander Wendt’s
Social Theory of International Politics (1999) was published in the period
after my Ph.D. was complete. Nevertheless, his account of the three cultures
of anarchy and the problem of structural change in the international
system, as well as his discussion of reflexivity, were extremely useful in
refining my own thinking on these matters. Finnemore and Sikkink’s norm
life cycle model has also stimulated much interest within the field
(Finnemore and Sikkink 1998). Finnemore and Sikkink developed their
life cycle to apply to the operation of a variety of humanitarian regimes.
However, their claims coincide neatly with the international norm
dynamics that this book postulates may be associated with the democratic peace. Realists claim that security interests trump humanitarian
interests because states must conform to the survival imperative, and thus
the norm life cycle model may be problematic when carried over into the
security sphere. Yet strong affinities exist between the norm cascade or
‘norm bandwagoning’ associated with the second stage of Finnemore and
Sikkink’s life cycle and the patterns of alliance formation that classical
realists have identified as a central feature of great power relations in the
post-Cold War world.
A final salient theme of this book is its attempt to extend liberal arguments about the democratic peace to the system level by linking them to
constructivist insights. The democratic peace literature emerged in direct
response to the success of neorealist theory in developing systemic level
analyses of international politics. It was overtly reductionist in the sense
that it stressed the importance of the domestic level as a casual determinant of state behaviour. Somewhat paradoxically, however, today both
proponents and opponents of the democratic peace both accept the basic
terms on which the debate takes place. Essentially, the debate between
realists and liberals revolves around whether a ‘separate peace’ exists
Preface
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xvii
between democratic regimes that share the same regime type. Nevertheless,
this consensus may inhibit the emergence of deeper questions about the
possibility of a more general relationship between liberalism and peace.
Narrowing the scope of its claims has made the democratic peace argument remarkably robust in the face of criticism. Yet it also forecloses
more fundamental questions about realism’s dominance as a general
account of the international system. Ironically, proponents of the democratic peace are tacitly supporting a structure of research within the
discipline as a whole that does not favour the liberal school. Given the
promise demonstrated by the democratic peace proposition as a means
of gaining a foothold against the hegemony of realist theory, this seems
an unfitting culmination to the research programme that it has generated. Rather than accepting realism’s gambit, a better way of sustaining
momentum in the democratic peace research agenda is for its proponents
to push the debate onto terms more favourable to the liberal paradigm.
One way of achieving this might be to begin to challenge realist arguments on the ‘high ground’ currently occupied by the system level. In the
short term, this approach involves moving away from the relative safety
provided by a rigid defence of the narrow proposition associated with the
separate peace claim. However, in the longer term it holds out the promise
of extending research into the democratic peace into a second generation
by greatly increasing its scope and significance. Indeed, analyses extending
arguments about the democratic peace to the system level have become
an important and growing part of the literature in the field in recent
years (Huntley 1996; Ray 2000; Russett and Starr 2000; Cederman 2001;
Russett and O’Neil 2001; Harrison 2002; Mitchell 2002). As with the
constructivist literature on socialization and norm dynamics, much of this
research has been published while the work was being conducted for the
present study. Nevertheless, it resonates strongly with the broad theoretical line of inquiry being pursued, and it is therefore to be hoped that
this book stimulates further debate in this important area.
My interest in the academic study of international relations was very
much the product of reading Robert Keohane’s edited volume Neorealism
and its Critics as an undergraduate at Bath University in the early 1990s
(Keohane 1986a). Although I discovered this book relatively late in my
studies, it did provide me with a foothold on the methodological problems and issues that underpin the contemporary theoretical literature.
Aside from the quality and sophistication of the debates between the
contributors, what interested me about this book was that, although
the various authors disagreed fundamentally, I sympathized in different
ways with all the sides in the argument. The same summer I had also
developed my interest in Kant’s political theory, and it struck me that
Kant’s thought might provide a framework within which the different
contributions to the Keohane edited volume could be synthesized. The
presence of both Nick Rengger and Richard Little meant that Bristol
xviii Preface
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University proved an ideal place in which to develop this admittedly rather
unorthodox line of inquiry, and the results were eventually published in
the Review of International Studies (Harrison 2002). Nevertheless, my
interest in the debates over neorealism has continued, and this book
in many ways may be considered as an attempt to both develop and
apply more extensively the framework I set out in my article in the Review.
In the acknowledgements to Neorealism and its Critics, the editor expressed
the sentiment that some readers might respond to reading the collection
of essays by making contributions to the debate themselves in the future
(p. x). It is to be hoped this book makes a further modest contribution
to the ongoing discussions that have been stimulated by Keohane’s volume.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the staff and research students of the Department
of Politics at Bristol University between 1996 and 1999 for providing a
congenial environment within which to develop my ideas, and for their
interest in my research. Roger Eatwell, my undergraduate tutor at Bath
University, also deserves particular thanks for his early interest in my
work, and for his encouragement since.
At Bristol University, Nick Rengger, Molly Cochran and Richard
Shapcott were especially helpful in the early stages of my research, and
their influence was essential in further stimulating my interest in the study
of international relations. Mark Wickham-Jones kindly took time out of
his schedule to provide me with support that proved absolutely crucial as
I entered a competitive academic recruitment market. Amongst the graduate students, Lucas Blasco, Piers Robinson and Chris Armstrong each
provided particularly important feedback, support and criticism.
Many people and several institutions have supported me in the period
since my postgraduate study ended. At Birmingham University, I especially
appreciated the encouragement and company provided by Fiorella
Dell’Olio, Elke Krahmann, Matthew Watson and Steve Buckler. At Edinburgh University, I accumulated debts to Kim Hutchings, John Ravenhill,
Sally Cummings, and especially Luke March and Cas Mudde for their
advice and mentoring. Tony McGrew of Southampton University was also
extremely supportive during this period, for which I am most grateful. It
was also at this time that Patrick James of the University of Missouri
showed an interest in my work. His general feedback and guidance since
has been invaluable. However, I have found our discussions of realism,
neorealism and systems theory especially helpful, and he therefore deserves
particular credit for the development of my thinking.
At Oxford University it was my privilege to be appointed the Hedley
Bull Junior Research Fellow, a position based at St Anne’s College during
the period of my tenure. Aside from the great honour of being associated
with one of the most prominent international relations theorists of the
twentieth century, this fellowship has allowed me the ultimate academic
privilege by providing three consecutive years of post-doctoral study during
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Acknowledgements
which time my principle responsibility has been to reflect, research and
write in complete independence. This period has been invaluable in many
ways, but in particular it has provided me with time for my ideas to
develop and mature. I would therefore like to express my thanks to the
Governing Body at St Anne’s and the managers of the Cyril Foster Funds
who have administered and financed this post during my occupancy. I
would also very much like to thank David Williams, my immediate predecessor, for his encouragement, guidance and discussions while I have
been at Oxford. The influence and support of both Neil Macfarlane and
Nigel Bowles at St Anne’s has been greatly appreciated, and Amrita
Narlikar, Alan Renwick and Rochana Bajpai have proved good colleagues
and friends.
At Routledge, Heidi Bagtazo and Grace McInnes deserve particular
thanks for their expertise in helping me turn the completed manuscript
into book form. To them, and the rest of the publishing team involved
in the production process, I am extremely grateful.
My greatest intellectual debt is to my former Ph.D. supervisor, Richard
Little, for his consistent support and his commitment to the very highest
professional standards. This was available to me not just during my enjoyable stay at Bristol University, but also over the whole of the subsequent
period. I have been privileged to benefit not just from his experience,
patience and pragmatism, but also from the sheer volume of time he has
generously made for me.
Finally, I have been extremely fortunate to receive constant advice and
encouragement during the entire period I have worked on this book from
my parents and also from my sister Fiona. Without their unfailing personal
support, this book would not have been possible. I therefore dedicate the
finished product to them with my deepest thanks.
Ewan Harrison
St Anne’s College, Oxford
October 2003
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Abbreviations
ADB
APEC
ARF
ASEAN
ASEM
AWACS
CAP
CDU
CFE
CFSP
CSCE
CTBT
EAEG
EBRD
EEC/EC
EFTA
EMU
ERM
EU
FDR
G7
GATT
GDP
GDR
IFOR
IGC
IMF
KFOR
LDP
MDB
MFN
MST
MTCR
Asian Development Bank
Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation
ASEAN Regional Forum
Association of South East Asian Nations
Asia-Europe Meeting
Airborne Warning and Control Systems
Common Agricultural Policy (EU)
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
Conventional Forces in Europe (Treaty)
Common Foreign and Security Policy (EU)
Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
East Asian Economic Grouping
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
European Economic Community
European Free Trade Association
European Monetary Union
Exchange Rate Mechanism (EU)
European Union
Federal Republic of Germany
Group of Seven
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
Gross Domestic Product
German Democratic Republic
Implementation Force (UN)
Inter-Governmental Conference (EU)
International Monetary Fund
Kosovo Force (UN)
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
Multilateral Development Bank
Most Favoured Nation (GATT)
US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty
Missile Technology Control Regime
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Abbreviations
NACC
NATO
NDPO
NPT
ODA
OECD
OSCE
PfP
PHARE
PKO
PLA
PRC
QMV
SDF
SDP
SFOR
SII
TACIS
TMD
UN
UNSC
WEU
WTO
North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NATO)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
National Defence Program Outline
Non-Proliferation Treaty
Overseas Development Assistance
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Partnership for Peace (NATO)
Poland and Hungary Aid for Economic Reconstruction
Peace Keeping Operations (UN)
People’s Liberation Army (PRC)
People’s Republic of China
Qualified Majority Voting (EU)
Self Defence Force (Japan)
Social Democratic Party (Germany)
Stabilization Force (UN)
Structural Impediments Initiatives (talks)
Technical Assistance to the CIS
Theatre Missile Defence
United Nations
United Nations Security Council
Western European Union
World Trade Organization
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Introduction
The collapse of the Soviet Union provided an historic opportunity to
examine how key states respond to large-scale change in the international
system. Between the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the
aborted August coup that preceded the demise of the Soviet Union in
1991, the international system witnessed the disintegration of the bipolar
structure of power that characterized the post-1945 international order.
Few, including the majority of experts, anticipated the dramatic changes
that took place during this period. Furthermore, the ‘systemic shock’ associated with the demise of the Cold War order provides a unique context
within which to test and refine theories of international relations. The end
of the Cold War has therefore opened up questions about the overall
nature of international change at the turn of the twentieth century. The
‘real world laboratory’ provided by the end of the Cold War can now be
used to assess the structural realist, institutionalist and liberal models of
the international system. Since 1989, the preconditions for these theories
to make a discrete set of predictions about the overall nature of postCold War change have been present. In line with the neorealist model,
the collapse of the Soviet Union has brought about a major shift in
the global balance of power. In line with the institutionalist model, there
are variations in patterns of economic and institutional interdependence
across the international system. In line with the liberal model, since 1989
a relatively stable core of liberal democratic states now dominates the
international system. Moreover, over a decade has now passed since the
end of the Cold War. States have been provided with a prolonged period
to respond to the dramatic changes that began to take place in the late
1980s. If the system within which they interact with others affects the
behaviour of states, the incentives and constraints this has generated ought
to be beginning to exert their influence on outcomes observed. Using the
opportunity presented by the close of the first ten years of the post-Cold
War period, an examination is made of how major powers have responded
to the changes which have taken place in the international system since
the end of the Cold War. By applying general theories of international
relations to the strategies of major states between 1989 and 1999, the
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Introduction
aim is to identify the overall nature of change in the international system
after the Cold War.
The decade following the end of the Cold War posed a particularly
interesting puzzle for conventional wisdom regarding international relations. Unlike other major shifts in the balance of power, the end of the
Cold War was not accompanied by a great power war. Moreover, peaceful
adjustment extended through the first decade of the post-Cold War transition. Of course, in many parts of the world the power vacuum left by
the end of the superpower conflict led to brutal outbursts of violence. Yet
tragic though these wars were, unlike earlier historical periods they failed
to generate a system-wide international conflict. It was only natural that
the general public in the West would assume that the relatively benign
situation they faced was the logical consequence of the crumbling of Soviet
power. However, in the context of both international history and international relations theory, this outcome was highly unexpected. Historically,
the twentieth century has been characterized by continuous great power
conflict on an unprecedented scale. Theoretically, it is acknowledged that
the international system has a powerful anti-hegemonial quality. The end
of the Cold War left the United States in a position of unchallenged preeminence. However, contrary to established theory, this has not led to a
period of instability and great power conflict. The Soviet Union acquiesced peacefully in the collapse of its empire without mounting a final
counter-hegemonial backlash. Moreover, there has been an absence of
great power security balancing against the US which conventional wisdom
in the early post-Cold War period had anticipated. Indeed, it is only really
in the first years of the new millennium – some twelve or so years after
the end of the Cold War – that concerns about the significance of American
power have re-emerged prominently in public and policy debates for the
first time since prior to the Soviet collapse. Viewed in historical and
theoretical perspective, that it has taken such an extended period for these
questions to surface is truly remarkable. What explains this era of great
power stability? Even approaching a decade and a half after the end of
the Cold War, this question continues to present a major anomaly for
established conceptions of international relations. Yet its importance for
understanding the nature of the global order cannot be under-estimated.
The close of the first decade of the post-Cold War period has presented
a unique context in which to systematically examine this puzzle to shed
light on both the character of the emerging international system, and the
way its dynamics are best conceptualized.
In applying theories of the international system to understanding the
strategies of major powers in the post-Cold War period, the template
provided by two collaborative projects carried out at Harvard University
during the 1990s is followed. The first is the Keohane et al. edited volume
After the Cold War: International Institutions and State Strategies in
Europe 1989–1991 (Keohane et al. 1993). This book, published shortly
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after the end of the Cold War, examines how the US and the major
European powers used international institutions in adjusting to the changes
taking place. The findings draw conclusions about the relative merits
of the neorealist, institutionalist and liberal models in explaining international outcomes during this critical period. The second book is the
more recent Unipolar Politics: Realism and State Strategies After the Cold
War (Kapstein and Mastanduno 1999). This differs from the Keohane
et al. volume in two ways. First, it examines realist theories rather than
debates across competing schools. Hence it focuses on strategies of the
major powers, rather than on the nexus between institutions and strategies.
Second, it examines post-Cold War state strategies at a global level, rather
than focusing on a European context. Following Keohane et al., evaluation of competing theoretical paradigms is provided, requiring examination
of the nexus between international institutions and state strategies.
Following Kapstein and Mastanduno, state strategies are analysed at a
global level. Nevertheless, commonality exists with both the Keohane
et al. and Kapstein and Mastanduno projects in that the aim is to use
theories as frameworks to analyse how major states have responded to
the changes in the international system since 1989.
To provide points of reference with the two projects discussed the definitions of ‘the end of the Cold War’, ‘state strategies’ and ‘international
institutions’ are compatible with their use in these books. Following
Keohane et al., ‘the end of the Cold War’ refers to the withdrawal of Soviet
power from Central Europe, and the reunification of Germany that resulted
(Keohane et al. 1993: 1–2). The end of the Cold War is therefore viewed
as predating the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, referring to the period
from 1989 during which the disintegration of the bipolar distribution of
military power became apparent in the global international system. ‘State
strategies’ refers to the ways whereby states deploy their material and diplomatic resources to pursue their national interests. Following the pattern set
out in both the Keohane et al. and Kapstein and Mastanduno projects, the
focus of the analysis is upon grand strategies, rather than detailed aspects
of foreign policies. Finally, following the conventional definition of an
international regime, ‘international institutions’ are understood as sets of
principles, norms, rules and operating procedures around which states
orient their expectations (Krasner 1983: 2). This provides a broad definition of an international institution, encompassing not only formal but also
informal aspects of institutionalization.
The general aim is to investigate the overall nature of change in the
post-Cold War international system. It is therefore necessary to specify
the terms in which this change can be measured. The ‘overall nature of
change’ in the international system is defined in terms of variation along
three dimensions derived from the theories utilized. The theories generate
radically different predictions about: (1) the key variable affecting great
power behaviour; (2) the general pattern of institutionalized activity
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Introduction
between major states; and (3) the foreign policy adjustments made by
individual powers to the end of the Cold War. Following Kapstein and
Mastanduno, the purpose of analysing the overall nature of international
change is both theoretical and empirical (Kapstein and Mastanduno 1999:
1–2). At a theoretical level, an examination is made of whether it is
possible to make any general statements about patterns of behaviour
observed. At an empirical level, the grand strategies of important actors
are analysed to account for how they have adjusted to the end of the
Cold War. By so doing, a contribution will be made to the assessment
of competing theoretical paradigms, and conclusions drawn about the
trajectory of change as the international system enters the twenty-first
century.
The introduction is organized into three sections. The first section sets
out the theoretical framework by outlining the different models, and
provides key definitions. It also identifies the predictions made by
neorealism and institutionalism about the post-Cold War international
system. However, because liberalism is the least developed of the three
theories the first section of the introduction focuses solely on the redevelopment of the liberal model. It is left until the second section to deal
with methodological questions relating to the operationalization of empirical hypotheses for the liberal model. This section draws upon the template
provided by Unipolar Politics to develop two criteria to facilitate the
measuring of liberal predictions. The final section of the introduction sets
out the organization of the book, explaining the purpose of the theoretical chapter and its relationship to the case studies.
Theoretical framework
A theoretical approach to international relations is adopted in this book.
The study seeks to be clear about the assumptions underpinning it, and
to apply these to examining the nature of change in the post-Cold War
international system. The promise of a theoretical approach is that it
moves beyond a descriptive analysis by offering generalizable explanations
of international behaviour (Waltz 1979). However, following Keohane
et al. it is necessary to recognize that existing theories are too imprecisely
specified to permit the rigorous testing of hypotheses. Keohane et al.’s
prescription of using theories to devise frameworks for the construction
of more sophisticated empirical investigations is therefore adopted
(Keohane et al. 1993: 7).
Also following Keohane et al., the neorealist, institutionalist and liberal
models are utilized (Keohane et al. 1993: 3–6). Kenneth Waltz (1979)
systematically formulated the structural or neorealist model. Waltz distinguishes between the structure of domestic and international political
systems. Domestic systems are hierarchical because they have a central
agency capable of enforcing law and imposing political stability. By
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contrast the international system is decentralized and anarchic. States must
make provisions for their own security to ensure survival. They will do
so until equilibrium is reached in the balance of power. It follows that
the distribution of material capabilities between states is the structural
determinant of international behaviour, constraining the behaviour of
actors regardless of their internal attributes or preferences. This material
structure is provided by the system’s polarity, which reflects the number
of great powers. International systems can be unipolar (containing a single
hegemon), bipolar (containing two superpowers) or multipolar (containing
three or more great powers). Bipolar systems are likely to be the least
prone to great power conflict. Under unipolarity, the anti-hegemonial
nature of the international system will encourage other major states to
balance against the dominant state to preserve their independence and
autonomy. Multipolar systems are more complex and harder to manage
than bipolar systems because there are a greater numbers of actors in the
balance of power, and because states can switch allegiance within alliances
(on collective action see Olson 1971; Sandler 1992). The emphasis on the
international system as motivating state behaviour distinguishes neorealism from earlier ‘classical’ realist approaches which account for war
and the balance of power in terms of nature of particular states or policy
makers (Keohane 1986a).
In the early 1990s, neorealists used their theory to make predictions
about the emerging international system (Mearsheimer 1990; Layne 1993;
Waltz 1993; for the most recent statement see Mearsheimer 2001). With
the end of the Cold War, the system had shifted from bipolarity to unipolarity. Neorealists predicted that this structural change would generate
tensions in the alliance systems that had emerged under bipolarity. During
the Cold War, the US developed a strong defence presence in both Western
Europe and East Asia. This was reflected in its key alliances, namely
NATO (1949) and the Mutual Security Treaty with Japan (1954). Through
these institutions, America undertook security guarantees aimed at protecting the independence of Western Europe and Japan against a Soviet
conventional or nuclear attack. The containment strategy pursued by the
US also led to the emergence of a range of economic institutions in global
trade (GATT) and finance (the IMF and the World Bank), and fostered
the development of European reconstruction through the EEC. Neorealists
argued that this system of cooperation would come under pressure after
the Cold War because, regardless of the diplomatic face it presents, the
US’s pre-eminence would be perceived as undesirable. In the absence of
a clear Soviet threat, conflicts of interest between the major powers would
surface. Secondary states would be encouraged to engage in balancing
strategies, targeted principally at America. Neorealists explicitly identified
Germany or a unified European state, Japan and China as candidates for
major power status. These countries had the potential capabilities to challenge American dominance, and for them to forgo the greater influence
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Introduction
this promised would present a structural anomaly. The US would have
strong incentives to roll back its security presence in both Europe and
East Asia, and rely instead on offshore balancing in these key regions.
The resurfacing of indigenous rivalries in Europe and East Asia would
provide a more effective way of containing challenges to America’s position in the absence of a common external threat. Overall, neorealists
predicted that unipolarity would yield to a more complex and less stable
multipolar balance of power reminiscent of that of the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. Positional competition and a concern with
relative capabilities would increasingly characterize great power politics,
and war between the major states would be more likely than during the
Cold War.
By the end of the 1990s a consensus emerged among realists that the
trends towards great power balancing against the US had not been the predominant feature of the international system since the end of the Cold War.
This led to William Wohlforth’s prominent attempt to salvage the structural realist framework by refining Waltz’s argument about unipolarity
(Wohlforth 1999). Wohlforth offered an elaboration of the structural realist model compatible with hegemonic stability theory. He argued that
unipolarity is compatible with a stable structure of great power relations
given the very high concentration of US capabilities within the international
system. Wohlforth’s claim about the stability of unipolarity had two central components. First, he argued that America’s dominance in terms of its
material resources is historically unprecedented, much greater even than
Britain’s lead in the nineteenth century. America’s military and economic
strength exceeds by a remarkably wide margin any other country or set of
countries combined, and this makes the costs associated with balancing
against its global hegemony prohibitive. The US is the only major state to
maintain a genuinely global power projection capability after the Cold War,
and by devoting only three per cent of its GDP to defence it greatly outspends all the other powers combined. Second, Wohlforth points to the
way in which local security dynamics in key strategic regions also lock in
the stability of a unipolar world. In Europe and East Asia, serious attempts
to balance against the US by countries such as Germany, Russia, Japan
and China would first trigger regional security anxieties. These regional
security dynamics would check local powers much more than they would
the US. Thus attempts to balance US hegemony by secondary states would
prove counterproductive and are unlikely to be attempted. By developing
these various arguments for the stability of an international system overwhelmingly dominated by the US, Wohlforth has sought to modify the
orthodox neorealist model whilst retaining its structuralist and materialist
logic.
However, Wohlforth’s modified formulation of neorealism shall not be
evaluated for two related reasons. First, his argument runs against the
basic logic of Waltz’s theory. Wohlforth claims that a high concentration
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of capabilities on the part of the hegemon can foreclose the possibility of
great power balancing within a unipolar international system. By contrast,
conventional Waltzian neorealism indicates that a high concentration of
capabilities with the hegemon will, if anything, increase the structural
incentives that exist for secondary states to balance against their more
powerful peer rival. Indeed, this explains why there was such a strong
consensus among prominent neorealists so early on in the post-Cold War
period about the shape of the emerging international order. Neorealists
were drawing on the distinctive ability of structural theory to highlight
general patterns of behaviour, and were using this powerful tool to cut
through confusion by making strong predictive statements. A second and
related reason why Wohlforth’s variant of neorealism shall not be operationalized is that this perspective is vulnerable to the criticism that it
offers a post hoc rationalization of the predictive failures associated with
the conventional neorealist model. Neorealists themselves have acknowledged that the emerging international system presents an ideal opportunity
to test their predictions against patterns of behaviour as they emerge. For
neorealists to subsequently move away from this position in such a way
as to salvage their central theoretical analysis allows neorealism to compete
against other perspectives on a playing field that is skewed heavily in its
favour. Wohlforth’s argument could become more coherent and persuasive if it was able to draw upon more comprehensive and rigorous
epistemological foundations. In particular, it might benefit by being linked
up more explicitly to an elaborated structural realist model which systematically integrates a continuum of capabilities-based elements into the
conventional Waltzian framework (James 2002). However, the development of an elaborated structural realist model along these lines is a
relatively recent occurrence, and not all theories can be accommodated
and tested within the scope of a single study. For these reasons, the conventional Waltzian version of neorealism and its associated predictions are
operationalized in the present analysis.
The institutionalist model identifies the distribution of interdependence
and international institutions as a variable affecting state behaviour.
Institutionalism asserts that cooperation between states is possible even in
the absence of a centralized authority at the international level. Although
the lack of an enforcement agency increases incentives for states to cheat
on agreements, cooperation under anarchy is possible given pre-specified
conditions. Where there is scope for joint gains, a small number of actors,
and repeated interactions over a long-term time horizon, international
institutions can take on instrumental value to states in pursuing their
national interests. Institutions can facilitate cooperation by reducing the
costs of diplomacy, decreasing uncertainty and shaping states’ expectations.
Institutionalists recognize that interdependent relations are an important
precondition for international cooperation. Well-developed patterns of
economic interdependence are crucial, because they increase scope for joint
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gains as well as the range and frequency of contacts between states.
Thus institutionalists recognize that their framework best models patterns
of cooperation between advanced industrialized states. Institutional interdependence can also help facilitate cooperation between states in the
institutionalist framework. International institutions are difficult to set up
in an anarchic environment. However, once in place they can become functional for states, and may persist even when structural conditions alter.
Thus institutional inertia may lead to ‘path dependent’ change in which
cooperation established during an initial period affects behaviour at subsequent stages. Typically, institutions emerge under the auspices of a
hegemon. Alternatively, they initially reflect alliance commitments under
a particular distribution of power. In general, however, institutionalists
view cooperation as reflecting the pursuit of national interests rather than
altruism (Keohane 1984).
Institutionalists responded to neorealist predictions about emerging multipolarity. In so doing they have predicted continuity in the post-War multilateral arrangements between the major states. Institutionalists point to
the dense network of alliances and international institutions that developed
between the Western powers under bipolarity. These multilateral frameworks helped stabilize diplomatic relations between the industrialized
states, and proved useful in pursuing economic gains. Now that Cold War
bipolarity has disintegrated, the functions these institutions perform will
continue to be useful for their members, and should tend to persist despite
the shift in the balance of power. This would result in the consolidation of
institutional frameworks that had been established in the early post-War
period. Whilst incremental change may take place reflecting adaptations to
the post-Cold War world, more fundamental change is unlikely. Moreover,
the post-War institutions also provide a stable platform for the engagement
of Russia and China, and the integration of these states into international
society. The most prominent exponent of this argument was Joseph Nye in
his influential book Bound to Lead (Nye 1990). Nye argued that the emerging structural conflict predicted by realists was unlikely to materialize.
Instead, a ‘layer cake’ system would emerge, with the US maintaining
hegemony in the military sphere, and secondary states specializing in the
supporting of systems of governance to manage economic and ecological
interdependence. Nye’s argument fed heavily into Hans Maull’s related
claim that Germany and Japan had become ‘civilian powers’, orientating
themselves away from military force, and gearing themselves towards the
management of multilateralism and interdependence (Maull 1991). Thus,
in contrast to neorealism, institutionalist analysis stresses continuity rather
than change after the Cold War.
However, institutionalists acknowledge that the status of their predictions
varies across Europe and East Asia. A West European context is ideally
suited to institutionalist analysis because well-developed patterns of economic and institutional interdependence are present (Keohane et al. 1993:
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6). German unification and the problems generated by enlargement of the
European Union and NATO may have distributional consequences that
could increase the complexity of multilateral negotiations. Nevertheless, a
change in institutional frameworks under these conditions is likely to be marginal because actors retain incentives to cooperate (Keohane 1993). By contrast, East Asia presents a harder case for institutionalism. Structural realists
were quick to identify that East Asia appeared ‘ripe for rivalry’ in the aftermath of the Cold War (Buzan and Segal 1994; Friedberg 1994; more recently
see Friedberg 2000). In addition to America and Russia’s presence, East Asia
encompasses Japan and China. Both these states are identified by neorealists as serious candidates for polar status within the international system.
Furthermore, patterns of economic and institutional interdependence are
much less well-developed than in Western Europe. Whilst Japan is integrated
into Western multilateral systems, China’s emergence as a major military
power in the wake of Russia’s decline might well encourage a regional security rivalry. In turn, an increasingly assertive Japan could loosen its involvement in the multilateral structures. In his capacity as Assistant Secretary of
State for Defense in America in 1994–1995, Nye oversaw the most important review of America’s post-Cold War security policy in the region. This
remained the corner-stone of US policy over the 1990s. It recommended that
America should maintain its forward defence presence in East Asia.
Although this would not substitute for well-developed interdependence, a
benign hegemon could provide some of the preconditions necessary for the
development of multilateralism after the Cold War (Nye 1995; Office for
International Security Affairs 1995).
The liberal model focuses the interaction between domestic political
systems and the international system. However, liberalism is the least well
specified of the three models. Traditionally, liberalism is viewed as
providing a ‘bottom up’ perspective in which the internal characteristics
of states explain state behaviour. Understood in these terms, liberalism
inverts structural realism’s emphasis on the constraints imposed on state
behaviour by the international system. This, for example, is the version
of liberalism operationalized by Keohane et al. (1993: 4). It is also the
formulation of liberal theory used to explain the ‘democratic peace’. The
democratic peace refers to the apparent absence of war between constitutionally secure liberal democracies over the past two centuries. In the
eighteenth century, Immanuel Kant first postulated the relationship
between liberal republics and a zone of peace (Reiss 1991). However, it
was only in the late twentieth century that empirical research by political
scientists subjected this proposition to empirical scrutiny. Michael Doyle
was the most prominent contemporary analyst to point to systematic
evidence supporting Kant’s predictions (Doyle 1983). Whilst the democratic peace thesis remains disputed, it has nevertheless emerged as one of
the most robust findings produced by the modern discipline (Brown et al.
1995a). Drawing on Kant’s three ‘Definitive Articles’ (or preconditions)
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of peaceful interstate relations, Doyle accounted for the democratic peace
in terms of the institutional, cultural and commercial features of liberal
democracies. Constitutional checks and balances, a shared culture of
respect for mutual legitimacy, and the material incentives provided by
transnational social and economic contacts between liberal polities coincided to tightly constrain the ability of constitutionally secure republics
to go to war with one another. Doyle also qualified his argument by
noting the ways in which the very same factors that underpinned peaceful
relations within the zone of peace exacerbated conflicts between liberal
and non-liberal regimes. Nevertheless, he identified that over the last
two centuries an informal ‘pacific federation’ between liberal states has
consolidated and expanded (Doyle 1983).
As a result of Doyle’s research, the view that liberalism stresses the
international consequences of internal structure has become widespread.
Indeed, a recent codification of liberal theory by Moravcsik generalizes
this claim, setting out a model of international relations that highlights
the causal significance of domestic preferences (Moravcsik 1997). Notwithstanding this consensus, however, there remain problems with such
a formulation of liberalism. Re-evaluations of Kant’s political writings
have led to a ‘second generation’ research agenda in which the democratic peace is understood as a systemic proposition (Huntley 1996; Ray
2000; Russett and Starr 2000; Cederman 2001; Russett and O’Neal 2001;
Harrison 2002; Mitchell 2002). This line of enquiry has pursued two
related ideas. First, it has investigated the role that the international system
itself plays in constructing the domestic structure of states through longterm processes of cultural selection. Cultural selection generated by an
anarchic environment favours more liberal states which will tend to outperform authoritarian systems in extended rivalry. Thus over the historical
long term, the international system itself will foster the spread of liberal
democracy. Second, it has explored the possibility that changes in the
proportion and relative weight of democratic states within the international
system will cause the effects of the democratic peace to vary over time.
One line of reasoning has proposed that once a critical mass of states
approximating to liberal democratic ideals exists the democratic peace will
replace the balance of power as the international system’s equilibrium
tendency (Harrison 2002). The socialization effects generated by the liberal
core encourage states at the margins of cultural change to adopt shifts in
their political identity. In turn, this feeds back into the properties of the
system by further strengthening the liberal core. Overall, the socialization
dynamics envisaged by the liberal model postulate the existence of powerful
homogenizing forces in the international system encouraging its longterm convergence around the democratic peace. Individual states may, of
course, resist pressures to engage in cultural change being generated by
the system. Thus, as Moravcsik’s formulation of liberalism stresses,
domestic variation is built into socialization dynamics because of the
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influence of embedded political and economic coalitions and social identities. Nevertheless, particularly once the norms of the democratic peace
are entrenched in the system, socialization pressures will encourage states
to internalize shifts in their identities through a powerful mixture of both
normative and material incentives.
There are affinities between such a formulation of liberal theory and
the ‘constructivist’ approach to international relations. Following Wendt,
constructivists argue that the cultural rather than the material structure
of the international system is the crucial systemic determinant of state
behaviour. Neorealism and institutionalism presuppose egotistical cultural
norms established through their prior encounters with other units. Rather
than assuming states seek to maximize their interests, constructivists
examine the way in which states construct their interests through processes
of socialization within the international system. In this view, self-help and
power politics are not necessary features of an anarchic environment, but
instead reflect the internalization of particular identities by actors. It
follows that the international system is at least potentially open to transformation away from a logic of self-help through changes in the culture
of the units that populate it (Wendt 1992). A problem with this line of
reasoning is that constructivists have been unclear about the mechanisms
capable of bringing about a systemic shift of this nature. Wendt has
responded to such criticisms in his recent Social Theory of International
Politics by providing a general account of how patterns of socialization
within the international system might vary historically. Wendt claims that
the states system has reflected a Lockean culture embodying the behavioural tendencies associated with neorealism. Today this system is being
transformed into Kantian culture due to a critical mass of states predisposed to interdependence and the norms of the democratic peace (Wendt
1999). Not all constructivists follow Wendt, and there is no necessary
affinity between constructivist and liberal arguments. Nevertheless, distinct
complementarities between Wendtian constructivism and the insights of
the sociological strand of the liberal tradition have been underscored by
Wendt’s book. Wendt’s insights are therefore utilized to produce a more
systemic formulation of liberal theory than is available in orthodox formulations of the democratic peace. Whilst acknowledging that socialization
dynamics are subject to domestic variation, this formulation views systemic
norms as capable of trumping internal political structure as a causal variable once the system is overwhelmingly dominated by a stable liberal core.
The concept of reflexivity is central to the socialization dynamics modelled by liberal theory. Wendt defines reflexivity as reflecting a capacity for
critical self-reflection and cultural change on the part of units (Wendt 1999:
375). Reflexivity as a property of the international system pre-supposes that
states are reflexive actors capable of internalizing cultural norms and
deploying these in conducting their foreign policies. However, reflexivity
cannot be reduced to this generic feature of social action, and should be
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understood as reflecting very specific historical circumstances. In particular, reflexivity is associated with social systems experiencing a shift in the
trajectory of socialization within them. The liberal model postulates that
once a critical mass of liberal states emerges, the democratic peace will
replace the balance of power as the international system’s dominant tendency. This will result in a spillover or cascade effect being generated in
which socialization pressures dynamically encourage the diffusion of liberal
norms. A self-reinforcing positive feedback loop emerges in which the
spread of liberal norms strengthens the dominance of the liberal core,
thereby further enhancing momentum within the system (Huntley 1996;
Cederman 2001; Harrison 2002; Mitchell 2002). A system characterized
by reflexivity is marked by two distinctive properties. First, units within it
achieve increased latitude for autonomous action. This reflects the way in
which the effects of persuasion and demonstration create a permissive space
that allows actors to voluntarily engage in cultural change. Second, a system characterized by reflexivity is distinctive in terms of the structure of
interaction it embodies. This condition is satisfied by the emergence of a
stable liberal core that overwhelmingly dominates patterns of interaction
within the international order. Through a potent combination of coercive
and economic incentives and cultural appeal, the core encourages states to
comply with the norms of the democratic peace. This same structure of
material and normative dominance also locks in progressive change, ensuring that any general reversal of the positive spiral is extremely difficult.
Liberal theory has traditionally suffered from the weakness that it offers
an idealistic perspective on international politics. This was a criticism
made in particular of the Wilsonian liberalism of the 1920s associated
with the notion that a general system of collective security could form
the basis for the international order. E.H. Carr exposed the weaknesses
of such arguments, and since Carr’s critique liberalism has been sidelined
as a tradition of thought within the discipline (Carr 2001). Carr’s criticisms of the utopian strands of liberal thought still resonate today, and
any attempt to revive the liberal tradition must be able to respond persuasively to realist arguments. The version of liberal theory operationalized
in the present study is one that disavows the utopian elements of this
tradition of thought. It is instead influenced by Keohane’s attempt to
develop a ‘sophisticated liberalism’ which takes into account the constraints
imposed by international anarchy and the competitive character of the
states system (Keohane 1991). Ironically, Keohane’s attempt to formulate
a sophisticated version of liberalism led him to focus on the problem of
cooperation under anarchy, and in so doing marginalizes both domestic
preferences and processes of state socialization from his theoretical
perspective. For this reason, he has subsequently acknowledged that his
theoretical perspective is better labelled institutionalist rather than liberal.
By contrast, the version of liberalism operationalized in the present study
offers a route to achieving sophisticated liberalism on terms different to
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those set out by Keohane himself. Keohane has interpreted realism as
a rationalist theory and this has encouraged him to develop the institutionalist critique. However, realism may alternatively be understood as
containing a strong reflexive dimension due to its focus on processes
of selection and socialization arising from the generative consequences of
anarchy. This opens a second line of critique of realism that has much
closer affinities with a formulation of liberal theory influenced by constructivism. As has been noted, liberal theory as operationalized in the present
study prioritizes systemic processes of socialization over the role of
domestic preferences, although it accepts that domestic variation plays a
strong role in mediating socialization dynamics. It therefore differs from
Moravcsik’s specification of the liberal model. Nevertheless, it does share
in common with Moravcsik’s reformulation the notion that liberalism may
be understood as a non-utopian, non-ideological social scientific theory
of international relations which is analytically co-equal in status to both
realism and institutionalism (Moravcsik 1997: 513).
Drawing on the affinities that exist between sociological liberalism and
Wendtian constructivism contains potential pitfalls, however. One of the
criticisms of Wendt’s approach is that it relies upon theoretical terms that
are difficult to define (Keohane 1989b; Keohane 2001). A recent study
by Alderson has, however, engaged a conceptual ‘mine sweeping’ exercise that facilitates the application of constructivist concepts to empirical
analysis (Alderson 2001). Alderson defines ‘socialization’ as the internalization of norms. He notes that approaches to socialization differ over
the conditions favourable to internalization, the causal mechanisms
through which its effects are produced, and whether normative or material factors are more important. However, by defining socialization as an
outcome rather than a process he provides a definition of socialization
that is capable of subsuming all of these potential uses. As long as the
outcome is that the norms are internalized, then this can legitimately be
encompassed by the label socialization (Alderson 2001: 417). This raises
the question of the definition of internalization. Internalization reflects
institutionalization of international norms. Institutionalization occurs
through the state, and will be mediated by domestic social, political and
economic coalitions. By the same token, however, internalization shapes
the internal identity of a state, biasing it in favour of compliance with
international norms. Also contained in Alderson’s definition of socialization is a definition of international ‘norms’. According to Alderson, norms
can reflect shared expectations about behaviour which are adopted because
they are either instrumentally valuable for states or because they reflect
shared cultural standards of legitimate behaviour. Thus the defining feature
of state socialization is the outcome of internalization rather than its
normative content (Alderson 2001: 418–423).
Definitions are also required relating to the cultural norms associated
with democratic peace. The notion of the democratic peace as a set of
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international norms reflecting the shared institutional, commercial and
cultural predispositions of liberal republics is well established. The first
two of these predispositions reflect tangible institutional or economic
variables that are more straightforward to operationalize. However, the
cultural strand of the democratic peace argument reflects a diffuse
and informal set of international norms. Thus it is essential to define these
norms and specify the behavioural effects with which they may be associated. Following Wendt, culture refers to shared ideas about legitimate
behaviour (Wendt 1999: 141). Applying this definition to the sociological
strand of liberal theory highlights the respect for mutual legitimacy
that constitutes the core of the pacific union. However, this raises the
question of what constitutes a ‘democratic state’. Orthodox formulations
of democratic peace theory associated with Doyle draw a distinction
between constitutionally secure liberal republics and illiberal regimes.
This distinction is normally inferred empirically with respect to a variety
of institutional characteristics associated with liberal democracies. This
distinction breaks down, however, when liberal theory is reformulated as
a macro-historical or systemic tendency that transcends any particular
state (Cederman 2001; Harrison 2002). On this view, states exist along
gradual continuum, and any one state can at best approximate liberal
ideals. Expressed in Wendt’s terms, liberal democracies are not pure
Kantians. Systemic forces therefore act on all units along the core-periphery
spectrum regardless of their formal political status. Thus even states that
have a constitution that is formally liberal may adopt preferences that
reflect either competitive security practices or a mercantilist economic
orientation. Similarly, states that are formally non-liberal in orientation
may behave in accordance with the norms of the democratic peace. Liberal
culture is therefore best measured empirically by examining domestic preferences as they are revealed in the grand strategies of states. It follows
that ‘cultural change’ may be said to have taken place when preferences
alter due to shifts in internal social, political and economic coalitions.
When cultural change reflects socialization, a causal link will exist between
normative and material pressures encouraging the internalization of international norms and domestic restructuring.
Having outlined the theoretical framework and provided definitions of
key terms, it is necessary to examine the issue of the predictions about
behavioural trends in the post-Cold War order generated by the liberal
model. This raises methodological questions related to operationalizing
liberal predictions.
Operationalizing liberal predictions
Huntley has argued that reformulating the democratic peace in systemic
terms allows liberal theory to offer distinctive predictions about the postCold War international system. In particular, it makes it possible to view
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the end of the Cold War in terms of a major historical turning point
in the development of world politics. With the collapse of the Soviet
Union, powerful forces exist which are capable of facilitating the dynamic
spread of peaceful relations between the major powers globally. A systemic
formulation of liberal theory therefore predicts a form of great power
‘bandwagoning’ in the post-Cold War era (Huntley 1996: 70). Bandwagoning refers to flocking to the dominant state and is conventionally
contrasted to balancing, which involves joining the weaker coalition.
Balancing is typically viewed as the more common strategy because bandwagoning carries with it the risk of exploitation by the stronger side.
Nevertheless, bandwagoning has occurred historically, and is extensively
discussed in the literature (see Walt 1984). Huntley compares the bandwagoning he associates with liberal predictions to both the balance of
power configuration predicted by neorealism and the institutional inertia
relied upon by institutionalist analysis. The liberal approach provides much
stronger grounds for optimism about the future of world politics than
either of these perspectives, suggesting ‘an unprecedented potential . . . for
general great power peace’ (Huntley 1996: 70). The notion that the democratic peace will spread and produce a general pacification of great power
relations strongly parallels the argument that with the end of the Cold
War the democratic peace will generate socialization effects beyond a
certain stage in the development of the international system. Moreover,
both the bandwagoning and socialization metaphors suggest a spillover
effect in which change generates a self-reinforcing cycle of progress. Thus
a ‘dialectical causal loop’ emerges in which feedback produced by the
international system enhances the spread of liberal norms (Huntley 1996:
59). On the basis of his argument that liberalism provides distinctive
predictions about world politics, he proposes that the end of the Cold
War provides a historic opportunity to test liberal arguments against
systemic claims put forward by competing paradigms. However, he also
acknowledges that a more systematic application of his ideas to the
emerging international system would be desirable.
Finnemore and Sikkink (1998) provide another precedent indicating
affinities between socialization dynamics and bandwagoning. Rather than
being influenced by the literature on the democratic peace, Finnemore and
Sikkink draw on constructivism. However, their arguments shadow themes
in a systemic formulation of liberal theory (Mitchell 2002). Finnemore and
Sikkink argue that the influence of norms may be understood in terms of a
three-stage process: norm emergence; norm acceptance (the norm cascade);
and norm internalization. The characteristic mechanism of the norm emergence stage is norm entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs attempt to convince a
critical mass of states to embrace new norms. In the second stage, the norm
‘cascades’ through the population through pressures to conform or the
desire to enhance legitimacy. The final stage of the cycle is norm internalization, during which norms acquire a taken for granted quality. Finnemore
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and Sikkink point out that not all norms reach the second stage. Only after
a critical mass of states accepts a norm does it reach a ‘tipping point’ that
sets in motion a cascade. In their discussion of the life cycle, Finnemore and
Sikkink suggest that ‘norm bandwagoning’ may be used interchangeably
with ‘norm cascade’ to depict the pattern of behaviour during the stage in
the cycle at which the tipping point is reached (Finnemore and Sikkink,
1998: 893). They apply their life cycle to various international regimes, typically those associated with humanitarian concerns. Nevertheless, their
framework might plausibly be applied to the cultural structure of the
international system. This way of fusing liberal and constructivist insights
indicates that once a critical mass of democratic states has emerged, a
process of norm bandwagoning will be set in motion (Harrison 2002;
Mitchell 2002).
It is possible to use the affinities between bandwagoning and socialization as descriptive metaphors to highlight behavioural tendencies in the
post-Cold War international system compatible with liberal predictions.
Recent research has indicated that between 1989 and 1999 the major
powers bandwagoned within a unipolar power structure. The most comprehensive attempt to document overall patterns of behaviour by major
states during this period has been provided by Kapstein and Mastanduno’s
Unipolar Politics (1999). Whilst maintaining a commitment to the realist
tradition, this study breaks with the structural realist framework that held
prominence in the initial aftermath of the end of the Cold War. The contributors are influenced heavily by classical realism, taking a perceptual
approach to power rather than relying on structural logic. Their central
argument is that through diplomatic engagement and reassurance, America
has encouraged other major actors to support its hegemonic position. While
they stress that the emerging order contains elements of positional competition, Kapstein and Mastanduno explicitly argue against core structural
realist claims. In particular, they ‘find little evidence of military balancing
by the major powers of Europe and Asia against the world’s only superpower’ (Kapstein and Mastanduno 1999: 4). Kapstein and Mastanduno’s
argument about bandwagoning may be broken down into two discrete
dimensions along which this trend may be measured. The first dimension
concerns general patterns of institutionalized activity among the major
powers. The second dimension concerns the foreign policy adjustments
made by individual states to the end of the Cold War. Along these dimensions, the trends documented by Kapstein and Mastanduno pose major
anomalies for both structural realism and institutionalism.
Neither neorealism nor institutionalism is able to account for the general
pattern of institutionalized activity documented by Unipolar Politics. The
argument that major powers have bandwagoned with the US since the
end of the Cold War suggests that trends in the international system have
been the reverse of those anticipated by structural realists. America has
successfully used diplomacy to assuage other powers, and convince them
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of the benign character of its dominance. Rather than balancing against
America, other major states have acquiesced in its predominance because
it is perceived as relatively unthreatening. This has been reflected in three
trends. First, rather than disentangling itself from its enormous Cold
War security commitments, the US has maintained and extended a strategy
of deep engagement. It has sought to preserve the status quo in its
relations with Germany and Japan, locking these states into a subordinate
role within US dominated structures. Second, with former Cold War adversaries, the US has pursued a strategy of engagement and integration rather
than confrontation. This is in order to dissuade Russia and China from
challenging American hegemony. Even NATO expansion may be seen
as a way of restraining a unified Germany, and has also been accompanied by a variety of efforts to make it politically acceptable to Russia.
Finally, the US has also adopted a preference for multilateralism because
this allows it greater leverage to legitimize its power (Kapstein and
Mastanduno 1999: 151–157). The pattern documented by Kapstein and
Mastanduno also poses puzzles for institutionalist predictions about
general patterns of institutionalized activity. In particular, the bandwagoning trend indicates that patterns of international cooperation have
been more encompassing geographically than institutionalists anticipated.
In terms of geographic scope, bandwagoning provides a much more
robust framework for peaceful transition between the major powers than
institutionalist logic. Rather than relying on patterns of economic and
institutional interdependence, which are uneven across the international
system, bandwagoning relies on benign policing and engagement by the
hegemonic power. Thus the general pattern of institutionalized activity
within the bandwagoning model is more extensive than institutionalist
theory anticipates.
Both neorealism and institutionalism are also faced with anomalies in
terms of the pattern of foreign policy adjustments identified by Unipolar
Politics. In addition to its general claims, Kapstein and Mastanduno’s
study provides valuable accounts of the ‘grand strategies’ of the major
powers during a period of flux. The results indicate that the end of the
Cold War has led to a remarkably wide diversity of strategies being
pursued by important actors. This reflects the way domestic preferences
have had a key role in shaping responses to the Soviet collapse. The editors
interpret this as indicative of bandwagoning within a unipolar structure.
The constraints imposed on the major powers by the system are relatively
weak, allowing domestic coalitions a high degree of influence on foreign
policy formulation. Structural realists might make the qualification that
their theory is designed to explain international outcomes, rather than
foreign policies of particular states (Kapstein and Mastanduno 1999: 10;
see also Waltz 1996). Yet, as Kapstein and Mastanduno highlight, if none
of the major powers are balancing against the US, this does pose a cumulative puzzle for neorealism. Institutionalism also faces difficulties in
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explaining the foreign policy adjustments documented by Unipolar Politics.
Institutionalism finds it difficult to account for the degree to which cooperative frameworks within the international system have been internalized
by the major powers. Institutionalism relies on the instrumental benefits
of cooperation for states. By contrast, Unipolar Politics records the way
in which the major powers accepted the legitimacy of American dominance. Whilst major states have attempted to maintain some independent
capacity for action, their strategies accept and even presuppose acquiescence in American hegemony. Of course, there is a general case that the
domestic level is a factor explaining international behaviour. However,
Unipolar Politics documents the way each of the major powers has pursued
strategies that strongly reflect the influence of behavioural tendencies built
up under bipolarity. This path dependency suggests that the effect of
domestic factors on foreign policy have varied dramatically across the end
of the Cold War. Thus the generic problem for neorealism and institutionalism posed by the foreign policy adjustments documented by Kapstein
and Mastanduno is the systematic influence of domestic variables on the
grand strategies of the major powers.
However, given the potential affinities between bandwagoning and
socialization dynamics, Unipolar Politics may also provide useful insights
into the behavioural tendencies associated with systemic liberal theory.
Points of similarity between hegemonic bandwagoning and liberal socialization may be identified in relation to both the general pattern of
institutionalized activity between the major powers and the foreign policy
adjustments of individual states. In terms of general patterns of institutionalized activity, both classical realist and liberal models indicate that
a peaceful structure of great power relations will emerge at a global level
in the post-Cold War period. In the classical realist account, bandwagoning reflects benign perceptions of American dominance. In the liberal
model, this reflects the socialization effects generated by the emergence of
a stable core of liberal democratic states. However, the outcome is the
same across both models. The second similarity between the two models
concerns individual foreign policy adjustments. Both classical realism and
liberalism predict a high degree of domestic cultural and institutional variation in the strategies of major states in the post-Cold War international
system. In the classical realist account, this reflects relative autonomy from
tight structural constraints. In the liberal model, this variation reflects an
‘internalization lag’ during which domestic institutions adjust to socialization pressures and internalize cultural change. In this account, domestic
variation is a direct reflection of socialization pressures, and the dialectic
produced when these pressures interact with embedded coalitions within
states.
Indeed, one of the contributions to Unipolar Politics explores connections
between classical realist and liberal hypotheses. Deudney and Ikenberry
provide the only contribution to the collection of essays that is informed by
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liberal rather than realist theory. Following the thrust of Kapstein and
Mastanduno’s study, it is argued that stability is locked into the post-Cold
War international system. However, Deudney and Ikenberry diverge from
other contributors by explaining this continuity in terms of what they
refer to as ‘structural liberalism’, or the institutionalization of a system of
consensual relations among Western states. Deudney and Ikenberry specify
that the key features of this system reflect security ‘co-binding’ through the
use of mutually constraining security institutions (notably NATO and the
Mutual Security Treaty with Japan), extensive levels of interdependence
which imbue American hegemony with a ‘penetrated’ and open character,
self-imposed constitutional constraints on the use of force by key secondary
states (notably Germany and Japan), structural economic openness and civic
rather than ethnic national identities (Deudney and Ikenberry 1999:
105–123). However, a problem with this formulation of liberal theory is
that it is so similar to classical realism as to be over-determined. Deudney
and Ikenberry’s argument reflects the way benign perceptions of American
power have enabled other actors to internalize a supportive role within a
unipolar international structure. Thus Kapstein and Mastanduno are quick
to draw attention to the way in which the system described by Deudney and
Ikenberry ‘remains remarkably Washington centred. American hegemony
is so essential to the maintenance of the system that it is built in to their
definition of its essential features’ (Kapstein and Mastanduno 1999: 15–16).
Essentially, Deudney and Ikenberry view American hegemony as a necessary
but not a sufficient condition for states to become socialized to a liberal
international order (Ikenberry and Kupchan 1990). As a result, the international system they envisage remains highly asymmetrical, with the US
taking on a disproportionate share of rights and responsibilities for
maintaining the international order. In practice, therefore, they concede
significant ground to realist arguments.
The over-determined character of Deudney and Ikenberry’s version of
liberal theory raises the question of whether it is possible to reformulate
liberalism to separate its predictions about patterns of institutionalized
activity more clearly from those provided by both institutionalists and
classical realists. One criterion useful for this purpose is to examine more
closely the type of institutionalized activity predicted by the two theories.
In a more genuinely liberal international order, hegemony would not
provide a necessary condition for socialization to liberal norms. Instead,
the major powers would take on equal status within the system, sharing
rights and responsibilities on a symmetrical basis. In this view, a critical
distinction between hegemonic bandwagoning and liberal socialization
is the degree of symmetry in institutionalized relationships between the
major states. This pursues a line of inquiry initiated by Buzan (1993).
Buzan argues that rather than being opposites, the concepts of international system and international society are symbiotic. The latter naturally
evolves out of the former such that system and society are linked in a
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Introduction
developmental sequence. A Waltzian balance of power is incorporated or
‘folded into’ a broader institutionalized structure of norms and rules.
Extending Buzan’s argument further and connecting it to the framework
provided by Wendt (1999), a Kantian culture might be viewed as a well
developed Lockean international society. Understood in this way, it is not
necessary to define a Kantian culture ambitiously as a partial and spatially
limited collective security system as Wendt does. Instead, it is better
regarded as a highly developed balance of power system in which concert
diplomacy is premised on recognition of mutual equality of status by the
major states. This in turn might be viewed as a natural progression of
Doyle’s proposition that respect for mutual legitimacy and sovereign
equality is at the core of the liberal pacific union. Such a system of great
power balancing is so sophisticated that ‘balance of power’ ceases to be
the most appropriate label to refer to the pattern of organization produced
because the risk of great power war has effectively been eliminated. Instead
the term ‘pacific union’ is more suitable, and it remains meaningful to
refer to the democratic peace displacing the balance of power as the dominant system-wide equilibrium once a Kantian critical mass has emerged.
This approach to distinguishing between hegemonic bandwagoning and
liberal socialization may be operationalized empirically by examining
adjustments in burden sharing arrangements within central multilateral
frameworks. Central in this regard are America’s key alliance commitments in Europe and East Asia, and the status of secondary states within
these regimes. According to Deudney and Ikenberry, for example, the
semi-sovereignty and partial great power status of Germany and Japan
will remain important features of the emerging international order. They
claim that this reflects liberal features of the international system, specifically self-imposed constitutional constraints on the use of force abroad and
the integration of Japan into wider security and economic institutions
(Deudney and Ikenberry 1999: 104–105). However, it may instead be
argued that asymmetrical features of the relationship of Germany and
Japan with the US actually inhibit a more liberal pattern of security cooperation based on greater equality in terms of burden sharing arrangements.
An international order structured along such lines would reflect a qualitatively different pattern of cooperation than that envisaged by Deudney
and Ikenberry. Thus burden sharing arrangements between the major
powers emerge as a key qualitative test of general patterns of institutionalized activity that have emerged in the post-Cold War period.
Debates about burden sharing are frequently framed in terms of a costbenefit framework amenable to institutionalist analysis. In this view, such
debates reflect concerns over gains through cooperation. Thus the emergence of a more equal structure of great power relations might conceivably
be better accounted for using institutionalist rather than liberal theory.
However, two points may be made against this argument. First, in practice institutionalists have manifestly not anticipated major changes in terms
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of burden sharing relationships between the major powers. Their overwhelming emphasis has been on continuity within post-War international
society, in contrast to the emerging multipolar system envisaged by
neorealism. Indeed, this focus follows logically from institutionalism’s
stress on the path dependent nature of institutional adjustment. This
implies that the end of the Cold War is seen as producing incremental
change, rather as a qualitative turning point in the institutional development of the international system. Second, bargaining over the distribution
of costs and benefits within multilateral institutions also occurs within a
framework in which perceptions of legitimacy are important. For example,
Kapstein and Mastanduno suggest that the perception of America as a
benign hegemon eases its ability to sustain patterns of cooperation within
the international system. In the liberal model, respect for mutual equality
of status can be viewed as having a similar functional effect. Moreover,
it is perfectly possible for cost driven behavioural logic to reinforce a
framework of political legitimacy once that structure has become
embedded. Instead of the causal process behind institutionalized activity,
the key indicator should therefore be the international outcomes produced.
If signs of change are incremental, this should favour institutionalist predictions. Indications of a more fundamental qualitative shift in the structure
of institutionalized great power relations, however, will weigh in favour
of liberalism. Over-all, the degree of symmetry in the pattern of institutionalized activity in the international system since the end of the Cold
War provides a viable criterion for evaluating the competing predictions
of different theories.
A second criterion for distinguishing between hegemonic bandwagoning
and liberal socialization is the impact of systemic pressures on the preferences of the major powers. Kapstein and Mastanduno hold that the domestic variation they record reflects the way the impact of structural forces
encouraging balancing is relatively weak. The major powers ‘cross a
tightrope’ as they negotiate the tensions between unipolar politics and positional competition built into the emerging order. They ask whether or not
they can cross these tightropes without falling, and find ‘that the contemporary order may be stable for the time being, but the walk will continue
to be a delicate one’ (Kapstein and Mastanduno 1999: 6). The critical factor determining the durability of the current order will be the diplomatic
prowess displayed by the major powers. In this view, the autonomy of
action that states have acquired is compatible with the coexistence for perhaps an indefinite period of a remarkably wide variety of strategies by key
states. In the liberal model, a degree of domestic cultural and institutional
variation is built into the socialization dynamics generated by the liberal
international order because of the existence of an internalization lag.
However, as the system develops, it might be expected to generate mounting pressures for the major powers to adopt ‘liberal’ strategic preferences.
This encompasses participation in a peaceful system of diplomatic concert,
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Introduction
and acceptance of broad equality of status with other major powers in the
international system. It also includes an economy that is relatively open to
international trade and a predisposition towards interdependence. Such criteria rule out strategies reflecting a competitive security tendency (including participation in asymmetrical alliance systems) and/or a mercantilist
economic orientation. The impact of systemic pressures on the strategic
preferences of states provides a test through which to examine the predictions of the classical realist and liberal hypotheses. If socialization towards
a liberal core is taking place, homogenizing tendencies within the system
will encourage convergence around liberal preferences.
In summary, the operationalization of liberal predictions about change
in the post-Cold War international system has been developed in three
stages. First, structural similarities between the behavioural metaphors
suggested by bandwagoning and socialization were identified. Second, this
was linked to empirical research in Kapstein and Mastanduno’s Unipolar
Politics. Two parallels between the behavioural trends associated with
hegemonic bandwagoning and liberal socialization were identified. First,
both predict a peaceful and densely institutionalized structure of great
power relations will emerge at a global level. Second, both predict domestic variation will be built into the responses made by major powers to
the Soviet collapse. The way these trends pose serious empirical anomalies for the neorealist and institutionalist models was noted. Finally, a
more fine-grained discussion distinguishing hegemonic bandwagoning and
liberal socialization yielded distinct criteria against which liberal predictions might be measured. Using these criteria should enable liberal
predictions about the behaviour of major states over the post-Cold War
period to be evaluated against those of neorealism and institutionalism.
Table 1.1 summarizes the predictions associated with the three theories
operationalized with respect to the post-Cold War international system.
Chapter structure
The remainder of the introduction outlines the organization of the book,
and considers its contribution to the literature. A theoretical chapter is
followed by three case chapters examining the foreign policies of Germany,
Japan and China between 1989 and 1999. The purpose of the theoretical
chapter is summarized before addressing the organization of empirical
research.
The theoretical chapter considers the implications of the end of the Cold
War for the way in which the international system is conceptualized.
Neither the Keohane et al. nor the Kapstein and Mastanduno projects
link their analysis of trends since 1989 with an assessment of the causes
of the Soviet collapse. The implication of this is that the causes and consequences of the end of the Cold War are treated as discrete units of inquiry.
There are, however, costs involved in framing research in these terms.
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Table 1.1 Summary of theories and predictions
Neorealism
Variable
General pattern of
institutionalized
activity
Foreign policy
adjustments
Major change in
global balance of
power
1
Balancing trend
globally
Conflictual structure
of great power
relations
Weakly
instututionalized
Domestic
variation
low
Great power
stability in
Western Europe
Great power conflict
in East Asia
Incremental changes
in post-1945
multilateral
frameworks
Domestic
variation
low
2
3
Institutionalism
Cross regional
variations in
economic and
institutional
interdependence
1
2
3
Liberalism
Emergence of
‘critical mass’ of
broadly liberal
states
1
2
3
‘Norm
Domestic
bandwagoning’
variation
towards liberal
high
core
Stable structure of
great power relations
globally
Non-incremental
change towards greater
symmetry in burden
sharing
In particular, the unexpected nature of the end of the Cold War raised
questions about the way in which the international system’s long-term
tendencies are modelled theoretically. For this reason the theoretical
chapter seeks a reassessment of established theories of international
relations, and the way in which the relationship between them is conceptualized. The aim of the chapter is to achieve a new synthesis of the
insights of neorealism, institutionalism and liberalism that is capable of
linking a coherent overall account of the end of the Cold War with an
analysis of trends in relations between major powers during the subsequent
period of post-Cold War transition. Thus, unlike other studies, this book
seeks to provide an assessment of the underlying causes of the Soviet
collapse as a pre-requisite to the analysis of trends in relations between
the major states.
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During the 1980s and 1990s, the dominant theories of the international
system were neorealism and institutionalism. These approaches have been
perceived as relying upon the assumption that states act rationally in
pursuit of their national interests, thus ‘black boxing’ the internal characteristics of states (Baldwin 1993). During the same period, liberalism
was viewed as adopting a reductionist perspective. Neorealism and institutionalism have therefore tended to be regarded as being more compatible
with one another than with the liberal approach in virtue of their systemic
orientation. The theoretical chapter challenges the established consensus
over the relationship between the three approaches, arguing that it
has inhibited a new synthesis of their insights suited to the post-Cold
War world. This argument develops in two stages. First, the conventional
rationalist interpretation of neorealism is re-evaluated. It is proposed that
the neorealist model does not require the assumption of actor rationality
for it to produce explanations of international behaviour. Instead it may
be interpreted as relying on a selection logic in which units that fail to
respond to the imperatives of the balance of power are punished or eliminated as significant actors. In this account, competitive processes socialize
units to adopt an egotistical identity, and then ensure this is reproduced
over time. The second stage in the argument is to reinterpret the conventional, reductionist account of liberal theory through constructivist insights
about socialization. The emergence of a constructivist school over the
1990s has facilitated the process of linking the democratic peace to system
level analysis.
Rereading both neorealism and liberalism in this fashion places the issue
of socialization much more firmly in the centre of debates than the earlier
consensus around rationalism. Debates between neorealism and institutionalism focused on the problem of cooperation under anarchy. By
contrast debates between neorealists and liberals concern the overall trajectory of identity construction and socialization in the international system.
This new axis of contention as a focus for contemporary debate offers
two distinct theoretical advantages. First, a focus on socialization dynamics
is more amenable to integrating questions about the causes and consequences of the Soviet collapse than the rationalist consensus. It raises
the possibility that the collapse of the Soviet Union reflected long-term
selection processes operating through socialization mechanisms at the international level. A second advantage of this approach is that it opens up
the possibility that the end of the Cold War may be viewed as reflecting
a shift in the trajectory of socialization generated by the international
system. The neorealist model has a narrow view of socialization because
it implies that systemic tendencies encourage the simple reproduction of
a Waltzian balance of power. However, reformulating the liberal model
indicates that socialization dynamics at the international level could be
more complex than neorealism envisages. Once a critical mass of liberal
states emerges, the democratic peace may displace the balance of power
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as the dominant equilibrium tendency within the international system.
Debates between neorealists and liberals over processes of state identity
construction and socialization in international relations therefore suggest
the possibility of subsuming the insights of neorealism and also of institutionalism within a broader synthesis compatible with viewing the end
of the Cold War as a major historical turning point in world politics.
Case studies are examined in individual chapters. The universe of
possible cases is drawn from candidates for great power status in the
international system. Thus the countries are drawn from the critical states
that have been identified by neorealists: the US, Russia, Germany, Japan
and China. The Middle East is, of course, a key strategic region and a
site for much potential and actual great power rivalry and competition.
However, because it contains no major power potentially capable of
directly challenging US hegemony, the universe of possible cases does
not extend to this area. Case selection within the list of polar states
identified by neorealists follows logically from the theories under examination. In particular, cross-regional variations in patterns of economic
and institutional independence are useful in structuring research because
their presence allows each of the theories being tested to make discrete
predictions. The neorealist model predicts a universal trend towards a
conflictual, multipolar international system characterized by great power
balancing. In particular, a unified Germany, Japan and China have each
been identified by neorealists as ‘rising powers’ within the emerging structure of international politics. These states find themselves at the margins
of change within the system, and therefore will pose critical tests of
neorealist assessments. The institutionalist model is prepared to challenge
this prediction in Western Europe, where patterns of economic and institutional interdependence between states are well developed. In East Asia,
however, these preconditions are lacking. By contrast, the liberal model
challenges neorealist claims in both Western Europe and in East Asia, and
predicts the emergence of a peaceful structure of great power relations
at a global level. Overall, cross-regional variations in patterns of interdependence mean that analysing the foreign policies of the major powers
in both Western Europe and East Asia should test the predictions made
by competing models.
The time frame covered is the decade between 1989 and 1999.
Neorealists might argue that this does not necessarily allow a long enough
period for balancing tendencies to develop properly. This argument was
deployed recently, for example, by Mearsheimer (2001). Indeed, this claim
has gathered significant weight since the important developments that have
occurred in the international system after 1999. In the wake of the
September 11 crisis, as well as the subsequent US interventions in both
Afghanistan and Iraq, the argument has increasingly been made that
neorealism is growing in relevance. Robert Kagan’s recent assessment of
the ‘power divide’ emerging between the US and secondary powers, for
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Introduction
example, may be read in the light of neorealist predictions (Kagan 2003).
The issue of the extent of the time period needed to adequately test
neorealist predictions about the emerging international system does draw
attention to neorealism’s indeterminacy as a tool of foreign policy analysis.
Nevertheless, having acknowledged this fundamental problem with
neorealism, the exclusive focus on the 1989–1999 transition may also be
justified on methodological grounds. First, a decade already constitutes
an extensive time frame in which to analyse neorealist predictions. Any
study of the nature of the post-Cold War order at the present historical
juncture can provide at best a provisional survey of trends. However, a
decade does allow an extended period during which the major states have
been exposed to the incentives and constraints generated by patterns of
interaction among them. Moreover, the close of the first decade of the
post-Cold War transition provides a logical, if inevitably somewhat arbitrary, cut-off point for the analysis. Extremely important developments
have recently occurred, particularly the September 11 attacks and subsequent crises. In analysing the impact of the major crises of the post-1999
period, however, the methodological problems posed by the lack of available evidence, literature and historical perspective are particularly acute.
Nevertheless, in recognition of the importance of these more recent developments and their significance for the key themes in the book, a postscript
considers September 11, 2001 and its aftermath. The aim of this postscript is not to achieve a comprehensive and systemic extension of the
framework of the book to cover the period since 1999. Instead, it seeks
to draw attention to the increased importance of the project engaged in
by the book in the light of recent trends, and point to how current events
may be interpreted given its overall argument.
The case study chapters are organized into four sections. The first two
sections analyse the predictions of the neorealist and institutionalist models
respectively. Liberal predictions are then dealt with in the two subsequent
sections. The third section assesses if there is evidence of domestic cultural
and institutional variation in the grand strategies of the major powers.
This might pose anomalies for both neorealist and institutionalist predictions, and would indicate an ‘internalization lag’ of the sort anticipated
by liberal theory. Thus even if states are pursuing non-liberal strategies,
at this stage in the analysis this remains perfectly compatible with a liberal
account of socialization dynamics within the international system. During
this section, extensive use is made of empirical research in both the Kapstein
and Mastanduno, and Keohane et al. projects to identify the distinctive
foreign policy preferences articulated by individual countries. The fourth
section considers the strategic choices faced by each of the major powers,
analysing the direction in which their foreign policies have been developing over the 1989–1999 period. This section considers whether the
state in question is coming under systemic pressure to adjust its domestic
culture by internalizing the norms of a Kantian culture. It discusses the
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extent to which the strategy adopted by the state in question is sustainable, or whether it is facing pressures to adjust its orientation. If there
are pressures for change, they are assessed in relation to the criteria distinguishing hegemonic bandwagoning from liberal socialization. It is
considered whether there are indications of the state altering its approach
to burden sharing so as to adopt a more equal role with the US, and if
there is evidence of pressures to internalize cooperative norms across both
security and economic issues.
The conclusions draw out the three central themes of the book. First,
the future of international relations theory after the Cold War is considered. The implications of the collapse of the Soviet Union for the way in
which the international system is conceptualized are discussed, and the
prospects for a new theoretical synthesis suited to the post-Cold War
world are evaluated. Second, an assessment is made of general patterns
of institutionalized activity in the international system that emerged over
the 1989–1999 period. This section considers overall trends in terms of
the relationships between the major powers since the end of the Cold
War. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the individual foreign policy
adjustments made by major states to the Soviet collapse, and whether they
have come under pressure to become socialized to the norms associated
with a concert of democratic states. Overall, a systematic evaluation is
provided of theories of the international system through comparative study
of state strategies during the first decade of the post-Cold War period. At
the present time, global trends remain opaque and are difficult to extrapolate. However, the information and analysis contained in this study should
prove useful in understanding the historic changes that took place in the
international system over the 1989–1999 period. In turn this knowledge
can be brought to bear on the grand theories that shape our understanding
of the emerging international system (Keohane et al. 1993: 19).
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Reassessing the logic of
anarchy
Rationality versus reflexivity
Drawing on the insights of constructivism and recent attempts to develop
a liberal model of international relations, this chapter compares neorealism, institutionalism and liberalism in terms of their competing conceptualizations of the composition and dynamics of the international
system. The argument is made that prominent institutionalists have mistakenly interpreted neorealism as a rationalist model of the international
system in order to develop their own arguments countering its central
propositions. Rather than relying on rational actor assumptions, neorealism instead adopts a reflexive logic focusing on processes of identity
construction and socialization arising from the generative consequences
of anarchy. Thus whilst neorealism and liberalism differ fundamentally in
terms of their assessment of the nature and long term consequences
of anarchy, they may actually be closer to each other in terms of their
conceptualization of system composition and dynamics than neorealism
and institutionalism. On the basis of this argument, a ‘linear’ understanding of the relationship between neorealism, institutionalism and
liberalism in which institutionalism is seen as providing the point of synthesis on a spectrum that runs between neorealism and liberalism is
disputed. Instead, a ‘triangular’ understanding of the relationship between
these three models is proposed in which the debates between neorealists
and institutionalists constitute its rationalist leg, and debates between
neorealists and liberals constitute its reflexivist leg. Understood in these
terms, liberalism’s focus on the overall trajectory of identity construction
and socialization within the international system is likely to prove more
productive in the search for a general synthesis of competing theories
of international relations than attempts by institutionalists to refine
rationalist models.
All three theories agree that anarchy is constituted through the interaction of units. However, they identify two different mechanisms through
which this interaction occurs. One mechanism is that states are rational
actors which seek to maximize their national interests through their international behaviour. Units which behave rationally ‘possess consistent,
ordered preferences, and . . . calculate the costs of benefits of alternative
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courses of action . . . to maximise their utility in view of these preferences’ (Keohane 1984: 27). Rationalist approaches take the self-interested
state as the starting point for their analysis, and therefore exogenize the
internal characteristics of units. An alternative means through which units
can interact is on the basis of reflexive behaviour. Reflexive actors act on
the basis of the cultural meanings that they ascribe to either material
objects or the actions of others (Wendt 1992: 396–399). In this view,
‘national interests’ cannot exist independently of a shared cultural context
for action. Interests are not given exogenously, but ultimately reflect
cultural identities that states have internalized through processes of
socialization within the international system.
A second important distinction is between the reflexive behaviour on
the part of units and ‘reflexivity’ as a property of social systems. In a
system that has achieved reflexivity, actors acquire an ability to think
self-consciously about which behavioural practices to adopt (Wendt
1999: 375). Cultural change becomes pervasive as a result of the process
through which actors are internalizing new identities. In turn, this reflects
a shift in the overall trajectory of socialization within the international
system. The achievement of reflexivity presupposes that actors are capable of reflexively monitoring the context in which they interact with
others. However, reflexivity as a property of social systems cannot be
reduced to reflexive monitoring of action on the part of units. It is perfectly possible to have a social system in which units interact on the basis
of reflexive behaviour, but which has not achieved reflexivity. Within
such a system, socialization dynamics define a negative feedback loop
that discourages cultural change from taking place, and the identities of
units will remain stable over time. It is argued below, for example, that
the international system envisaged by neorealism may be interpreted as
operating in precisely this fashion. Thus reflexivity as a feature of social
systems under specific historical circumstances must be distinguished from
reflexive monitoring as a generic feature of social action.
The neorealist, institutionalist and liberal models are reviewed respectively. Each theory’s assumptions about the nature of anarchy are analysed
to highlight differences in its ontological status across them. The way in
which the theories conceptualize the constitution of the international
system is also examined to identify whether a rationalist or a reflexivist
logic is adopted. A fourth section considers the relationship between the
three models and the possibilities for a general synthesis of their insights.
This section sets out the linear and triangular views of debates between
systemic theories, and discusses the implications of these theoretical
concerns for the structure of research programmes within the field after
the Cold War. Conclusions then summarize the theoretical arguments
discussed and their implications for the study of international relations in
the post-Cold War period.
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Reassessing the logic of anarchy: rationality versus reflexivity
The neorealist model
The key variable identified by neorealism is the polarity of the international
system, defined in terms of the distribution of material capabilities between
states. This conclusion is drawn from the specification of neorealist theory.
Waltz sharply distinguishes the structure of domestic and international
systems. Domestic political systems are centralized and hierarchical, whilst
the structure of the international system is anarchic due to the absence of
a centralized law enforcement agency. Due to its anarchic organization, the
international system becomes a self-help one, and a balance of power
will consequently emerge as a result of the efforts of states to achieve
security. This balance will reflect a structural equilibrium in the distribution of capabilities within the international system (Waltz 1979).
As Dessler identifies, neorealism relies on a positional model of structure focusing on a unit’s placement within a given arrangement of actors
(Dessler 1989: 449; also Wendt 1987: 341). Thus the system Waltz
envisages has a reproductive character. Unintended consequences of interaction cause patterns of behaviour to reoccur even against the wishes of
the system’s members. Waltz does allow scope for the transformation
of the international system if its ordering principle shifts to hierarchy,
although this is unlikely because of the anti-hegemonial nature of the
balance of power. However, despite the reproductive role of structure
in neorealism, the model retains a dynamic or ‘generative’ quality. Structure acts as a selector, and over time eliminates units that fail to respond
to the imperatives of the system. This leads Waltz to emphasize the
‘pervasive’ importance of competition and socialization. Socialization is
a process of emulation, and competition a process of elimination. States
face strong structural incentives to emulate the effects of the most successful and become ‘socialized’ to the international system. If they fail to do
so, competition will tend to eliminate them. This has internal and external
consequences for states. Internally, they will adopt equivalent organizations. Externally, states will adopt structurally similar repertoires of
behaviour. Competition and socialization encourage the homogenization
of units such that they are functionally alike, and promote convergence of the system around a balance of power equilibrium (Waltz 1979:
74–77).
Waltz’s suggestion that anarchy is generative has important implications for the way that he conceptualizes the role of the state. Waltz is
conventionally interpreted as assuming states are rational actors. Keohane,
a prominent institutionalist, adopts this understanding of neorealism
(Keohane 1986b: 167). However, in making this claim Keohane knowingly counters Waltz’s own assertion that his theory ‘requires no assumptions of rationality . . . on the part of . . . the actors. The theory simply
says that if some do relatively well, others will emulate them or fall by
the wayside’ (Waltz 1979: 118; see also Keohane 1986b: 201 fn 15).
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Waltz does hold that his theory requires the assumption that at least some
states seek to survive. However, he does not assume that they pursue this
strategy rationally. Hence Waltz stresses the importance that he attaches,
and which Keohane denies, to the process of selection that takes place in
competitive systems (Waltz 1986: 331; James 2002: 122).
Buzan et al. have argued that implicit in Waltz’s model is a ‘top down’
theory of the state. Once states are co-acting in a competitive environment, anarchy does have a bearing on their development. For this reason,
Waltz observes the importance of the imitation of successful practices
within the international system. In turn, the ability to engage in imitation
implies cultural selection through the spread of shared ideas rather than
natural selection relying on material incentives. Reasoning along these
lines, Buzan et al. argue that the international system modelled by neorealism may be understood as operating through reflexive self-regulation
on behalf of units rather than through rational action. On this account,
patterns of behaviour are perpetuated not because of rational calculations
of interest, but because shared knowledge has been internalized by states
(Buzan et al. 1993: 107 and 117–118). Dessler makes the same point
when he notes that the structure envisaged by neorealism implicitly generates rule following activity on the behalf of units. Thus ‘[r]ules, which
give shape and meaning to rationality and thereby make survival possible,
are a necessary (if theoretically suppressed) component of structure in the
neorealist model’ (Dessler 1989: 461). Distinguishing empirically between
rational action and reflexive self-regulation is difficult because the outcomes
may be identical. However, these theoretical considerations do affect the
way central features of the international system envisaged by neorealism
are conceptualized.
For example, one way of viewing the balance of power is that states
rationally respond to the incentives generated by their relative position.
However, the balance of power may instead be understood in terms of
negative feedback produced through the international system. In this
conception, ‘the balance is systemic in that the norms have been internalized through socialization as the actors watch and interact with their
peers’ (Jervis 1997: 136). The most compelling examples of reflexive
self-regulation within the international system have occurred when major
states have behaved apparently ‘irrationally’. Important actors have occasionally been eliminated as significant units because of their failure to
imitate the practices of rivals. A specific case is the Anglo-Dutch conflict
of the seventeenth century. Although Holland survived as a sovereign
entity, the failure of the Dutch to prepare for war led to their defeat and
elimination as a major power. On a rationalist interpretation of neorealism,
Dutch behaviour is difficult to accomodate. Although the ‘rational’ option
of developing its military capabilities was open, Holland failed to take
this course. However, understood in terms of the system’s capacity for
reflexive self-regulation through selection and socialization, the outcome
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Reassessing the logic of anarchy: rationality versus reflexivity
of the Anglo-Dutch conflict is easily accounted for by neorealism.
Moreover, as Waltz appreciates, even a small number of cases such as
the one discussed provide an important example for other units. They are
therefore extremely effective in ensuring the reproduction of a competitive environment. Thus Waltz is quick to recognize that the neorealist
model is all the more powerful if it relies on imitation arising from the
generative consequences of anarchy rather than the assumption of rational
behaviour.
Waltz’s account of socialization is not without problems, however. Early
on in the debate over neorealism, Ruggie recognized that system structure was not fully generative for Waltz (Ruggie 1986: 135–136 and
148–152; Waltz 1986: 328). Wendt has subsequently identified the ways
in which Waltz’s account of socialization is underdeveloped. Wendt accepts
the view that neorealism is committed to a rationalist account of the state.
However, in order to understand both when and how the assumptions
underpinning neorealism operates, it is necessary to expose the social
theory that remains implicit in Waltz’s formal model. Wendt identified
that Waltz is committed to both individualist and materialist assumptions.
Neorealism is individualist because structure is generated only through
interaction of pre-existing units. Neorealism is materialist because it is
the distribution of capabilities between states that motivates state behaviour under anarchy. Wendt argues that as a result of these assumptions
neorealism’s account of socialization is truncated. Socialization can have
two distinct objects, behaviour and properties, and neorealism’s account
focuses exclusively on the former. Waltz’s individualist premises ensure
that neorealism’s account of socialization permits only homeostatic reproduction within the system. Moreover, Waltz’s materialism ensures that his
account of socialization is a ‘thin’ one that reduces norms and rules to
patterned behaviour on the part of units. Thus the normative content of
Waltz’s account of socialization is so insignificant as not to be meaningful
(Wendt 1999: 98–102). To provide a fully developed account of state
socialization, the international system must be understood in terms that
are holist (structure affects properties not just behaviour) and idealist
(structure defined in cultural rather than material terms). Thus Wendt has
revealed that once the philosophical assumptions underpinning neorealism
have been properly exposed, it is ultimately a distortion to claim that
its account of the international system operates through reflexive selfregulation.
Indeed, neorealism’s ambiguity at a philosophical level has fed directly
into its problematic status as a model capable of explaining the activities
of states. In particular, Waltz is unclear about the extent to which units
have autonomy from the pressures generated by system structure. Waltz
asserts that neorealism can explain foreign policy only when external pressures dominate the internal disposition of states. However, if the
international system is not fully generative then the question becomes how
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to explain variation in the influence of system structure over time. The
relative influence of unit and structure on behaviour is therefore fundamentally ambiguous in neorealism (Elman 1996a; see also Elman 1996b).
This practical problem associated with applying neorealism ultimately
stems from weaknesses in his underlying philosophical premises, as Wendt
has identified. Neorealism is vague about the extent to which structure
may be viewed as fully generative. Yet whilst at a philosophical level
Wendt’s critique of neorealism is penetrating, it is also important to recognize the historical context in which Waltz formulated his model. Wendt
has the advantage of the hindsight provided by two decades of sustained
critical reflection on Theory of International Politics. It is entirely unsurprising, therefore, that the account of socialization developed by Waltz is
not fully specified. A fairer evaluation of neorealism, given the context
from which it emerged, is that Waltz’s model of socialization within the
international system is simply underdeveloped. Understood in these terms,
it seems more appropriate to conclude that the status of the state in
neorealist theory remains somewhat unclear. This, for example, is the
position adopted in one recent analysis (James 2002: 122). Neorealism
has a thin conception of socialization that makes it amenable to a rationalist interpretation. Nevertheless, whilst neorealism’s conception of
socialization is truncated, the stress that Waltz places on its role does
indicate that it is not unreasonable to interpret his model in reflexivist
terms.
In summary, two aspects of the neorealist model have been highlighted.
First, it relies upon a positional model of structure. It thereby takes on a
reproductive character and has a homeostatic bias. Second, neorealism is
not necessarily, as is widely supposed, committed to the assumption that
states are rational actors. Neorealism can be read in this way, as Keohane
has proposed. Yet neorealism might also reasonably be viewed, as Waltz
himself would prefer, as relying on the selection and socialization produced
by the system’s generative consequences. Waltz’s account of anarchy is not
fully generative, and his model of state socialization is ambiguous.
However, neorealism can be interpreted as relying on a reflexive logic
because it does provide an incipient theory of state identity construction
within the international system.
The institutionalist model
The key variable identified by the institutionalist model is the distribution of information and institutions within the international system. By
focusing on the systemic impact of information and institutions, institutionalists seek to demonstrate that international cooperation is possible
from the same assumptions about the international system as neorealism.
The essence of the institutionalist argument is that neorealism’s conclusions do not follow from its premises.
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Two qualifications should be made about the version of institutionalism to be presented. First, the account draws principally on Keohane’s
formulation of institutionalist theory (see especially Keohane 1984).
Keohane’s work has now generated a wide secondary literature. Nevertheless, it remains the most comprehensive statement of the theory from
which this literature ultimately derives. This perspective is often referred
to as ‘neoliberal institutionalism’. However, following Keohane’s explicit
preference, the label institutionalism is adopted because it distinguishes
institutionalism from the liberal model. A second qualification is that the
account of institutionalism below has a narrow methodological foundation premised on rational choice analysis. Sociological and historical
strands of institutionalist theory also exist as middle range theories within
political science (Hall and Taylor 1996). However, they have not been
formulated into a general theory of the international system in the way
that Keohane’s rational choice institutionalism has. Similarly, rational
choice institutionalism has a very particular assessment of the operation
of international regimes. The account of regimes that follows therefore
does not deny the existence of alternatives drawing on constructivism and
variants of realism. However, it does focus on the rational choice approach
to regimes because this perspective makes an attempt at providing a paradigmatic alternative to neorealism. These qualifications make it possible
to avoid the problems that might be associated with inappropriately
comparing grand systemic theories with middle range theories when the
relationship between neorealism, institutionalism and liberalism is analysed
in the final section.
Institutionalists purport to accept neorealist claims about the impact of
anarchy on state behaviour. However, they also presuppose the existence
of complex patterns of interdependence that create extensive common
interests amongst industrialized states. They therefore suggest that the
problem of cooperation between these states can often be modelled in
terms of a Prisoner’s Dilemma. Within such a game, two participants
could benefit from cooperation but fail to do so due to the incentives
generated by the structure of interaction that exists between them. Drawing
on theories of rational choice, Keohane suggests that whether defection
is the dominant strategy within a Prisoner’s Dilemma depends on the
number of times the game is played. If the game is played only a small
number of times, defection will dominate. However, if the game is played
on an iterative basis, cooperation can rationally emerge if the participants
value future rewards and practice specific reciprocity. This is because the
repeated playing of the game generates a shadow of the future (Keohane
1984: 65–85; Axelrod and Keohane 1993). Keohane also holds that international regimes can play a functional role in facilitating cooperation
among rational egoists. First, regimes reduce transactions costs or the costs
of negotiating, monitoring and enforcing agreements. Second, regimes
reduce uncertainties and provide information that shape states’ expecta-
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tions of future behaviour. Under anarchy, regimes will be difficult to create
since it is difficult for states to establish legal liability through regimes.
However, once brought into existence they will be functional for states
and therefore tend to endure (Keohane 1984: 85–109). Keohane also
explores the implications of assuming ‘bounded rationality’ and of limited
redefinition’s of actor interests away from egoism. However, he is also
clear that these move beyond a functional theory of regimes. Keohane
therefore acknowledges that ‘rationalist theories contain no endogenous
dynamic (because) . . . preferences are assumed to be fixed’ (Keohane
1989b: 171).
There is a body of literature reviewed comprehensively by Hasenclever
et al. that attempts to endogenize preference formation within a rational
choice framework (Hasenclever et al. 1997: 139–154). In particular,
dynamic rationalist models incorporate a role for changes in state preferences and feedback from context. Within such a framework, regimes
are capable of acting as ‘autonomous variables’ that over time are able
to alter states conceptions of their interests (Krasner 1983). Nye’s assessment of the non-proliferation regime during the Cold War has been one
of the most influential studies of this kind. Nye’s analysis of the regime
indicates that through their ongoing interactions, US and Soviet policy
makers rationally responded to new information signalling the dangers
associated with the use of nuclear weapons by adjusting their conceptions
of their interests. The superpowers went beyond ‘simple learning’ in which
they adjusted means without adjusting their deeper goals, and engaged in
‘complex learning’ in which they altered their preferences as a result of
new information. New norms within the regime consequently emerged
associated with the operation of deterrence reflecting the way in which
the two superpowers had altered prior beliefs about their usage of nuclear
weapons in a first strike capacity. Moreover, once in place, feedback
helped reinforce the norms that emerged through the process of complex
learning. For example, regimes established regular diplomatic contacts that
‘locked in’ new information about the value of stable deterrence by
changing standard operating procedures and the attitudes of participants
in negotiations (Nye 1987: 382–401).
Attempts to endogenize preference formation have demonstrated that
rational choice analysis can be versatile. However, Keohane acknowledges
that this approach to analysing state preference formation privileges a
rationalist framework by requiring justifications for deviating from its
assumptions without symmetrically demanding that rationalism justify
the interests and identities of the actors with which it begins its analysis (Keohane 1996: 473). Hasenclever et al. make a similar point when
they note that attempts to endogenize preference formation within a
rational choice framework reflect ‘weak’ rather than ‘strong’ cognitivism.
A focus on interest formation is used to complement rationalist approaches
by supplying an account of how interests may change as the result of
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Reassessing the logic of anarchy: rationality versus reflexivity
new knowledge being acquired by actors. However, these approaches do
not systemically consider the way in which national interests are first
defined by the prior socialization of states (Hasenclever et al. 1997: 155).
Thus the account of complex learning and identity change provided is
limited in two ways. First, the central problematic remains that of cooperation under anarchy. Anarchy is viewed as reproductive rather than
transforming, and as providing a constraining rather than an enabling
environment. As a result, institutionalism lacks a systematic account of
the way in which cultural selection may be encouraged by the international
system itself. Second, institutionalism also lacks a systematic account of
the conditions under which the international system might allow scope
for cultural change resulting from the exercise of voluntary agency on the
part of units. Such change remains viewed as merely reflecting residual
domestic variance that will be constrained by systemic conditions (Keohane
1986b: 193). Thus attempts to endogenize preference formation within a
rationalist framework leaves open a space for a more fully developed
account of socialization dynamics in which cultural selection and cultural
change play a more prominent role.
In summary, two aspects of the institutionalist model have been highlighted. First, like neorealism, institutionalism takes on an essentially reproductive rather than a transformative view of the logic of anarchy. Second,
unlike neorealism institutionalism remains unambiguously committed to
the assumption that states behave as rational actors. This framework is
compatible with explaining a degree of complex learning on the part of
units. However, because the rationalist framework has a reproductive
orientation it may underestimate the scope for cultural change within the
international system.
The liberal model
This section reformulates liberal theory in the light of constructivism. The
most prominent recent attempt to develop a liberal model of the international system has been made by Moravcsik. In agreement with
Moravcsik, the approach set out here assumes that liberalism can be identified as a distinct systemic theory that makes general statements about
international behaviour (Moravcsik 1997: 515–516). However, this formulation of liberal theory reverses Moravcsik’s injunction that the domestic
preferences of states take causal priority over the cultural structure of the
international system. It draws upon constructivist insights to argue that
Moravcsik overlooks an important systemic dimension that is central to
the sociological strand of the liberal tradition. However, the label ‘constructivism’ is eschewed in favour of terminology that acknowledges the liberal
normative content of socialization dynamics. In particular, this formulation of liberal theory hypothesizes that the cultural norms associated with
the democratic peace may generate socialization effects that encourage
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their spread through the international system. Advocates of both liberalism and constructivism have acknowledged the close affinities that exist
between these positions (Wendt 1992: 394; Moravcsik 1997: 539–540).
Whilst influenced by Moravcsik’s attempt to systemize liberalism, this
account draws upon constructivism to set out a modified formulation
which gives more prominence to the role of socialization dynamics and
cultural change within the international system.
Due to its focus on the cultural structure of the international system as
the key variable affecting state behaviour, the status of anarchy in liberal
theory differs fundamentally from the neorealist and institutionalist models. Liberalism relies upon what constructivists have referred to as a transformational model of structure in which anarchy is viewed as potentially
open to transformation through changes in the culture and identity of the
units that populate the international system (Dessler 1989: 452–454).
However, a liberal model moves beyond this general claim by specifying a
set of determinate historical and sociological dynamics that encourage the
emergence and perpetuation of this trend. In particular, Huntley has suggested that anarchy may have a self-transforming logic. Huntley proposes
that an interpretation of Kant’s writings that focuses only on the domestic
sources of the democratic peace overlooks the role that is played by anarchy in its emergence and spread. Kant suggested that over the long term,
the effects of competition and socialization within the international system
encourage convergence and homogenization around the liberal state form
and thus the expansion of the liberal pacific union. Understood in these
terms, the democratic peace becomes an equilibrium position around which
the international system will gradually tend to approximate. Thus although
a liberal model adopts the same modalities of system reproduction suggested by neorealism – competition, socialization and equilibrium – it
understands these characteristics in very different terms (Huntley 1996:
57–63; Harrison 2002: 148–154).
The notion that anarchy may have generative consequences of a transformative nature raises important questions about how the composition
and dynamics of the international system are conceptualized. Within the
liberal model, the international system is viewed as operating through
long-term cultural selection processes. Anarchy is therefore understood as
having a reflexive logic in which states internalize cultural identities
through socialization pressures generated by the international system. The
transformation of the international system can be viewed as being brought
about through both unintended and intended consequences of interaction.
In terms of unintended consequences, Huntley identifies that during longterm competition liberal states will tend to out-perform non-liberal states.
Similarly, in the context of an anarchic environment, the distinctive
capacity of liberal states to be trusted casts a long shadow on the future
that unwittingly socializes them to the democratic peace (Huntley 1996:
57–58). This shadow must be sharply distinguished from that discussed
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by institutionalists, in as much as it emerges as a result of the collective
identity adopted by liberal states rather than the interaction of rational
egoists. In Wendt’s terminology, it reflects the constitutive rather than
behavioural effects of interdependence (Wendt 1999: 344–349). However, the most distinctive element of a liberal model of the international
system is its stress on the role of cultural change in the operation of
competition and socialization. Unlike the unintended effects of anarchy,
cultural change involves the exercise of voluntary agency. States will freely
choose to join up with the democratic zone of peace, thereby facilitating
its further expansion. As such, cultural change is particularly important
at the margins of development within the international system. Over the
historical long term, the intentional choices of states reinforce the unintended cultural selection effects generated by international anarchy
(Harrison 2002: 151–152).
As Wendt identifies, states can internalize the norms of a Kantian culture
to different degrees (Wendt 1999: 302–307). They may be coerced into
complying with its norms, or adopt them instrumentally because they
recognize the material advantages of so doing. Wendt refers to this as
internalization to the first and second degrees respectively. For example,
states in the periphery will simply lack the capabilities to pursue effective
balancing strategies against states within the liberal core. Similarly, states
may comply with a Kantian culture for the economic benefits this brings,
for example in terms of access to international trade with and investment
from the liberal core. States that fail to comply with the system’s dominant norms will fall behind others in terms of overall performance, and
risk punishment or elimination as significant actors. States may also internalize a Kantian culture to the third degree reflecting a situation in which
they comply with its norms because they recognize them as legitimate.
Traditionally this mechanism of ensuring compliance with international
norms has been seen as weak given the absence of effective enforcement
agency in the international system. However, within a Kantian culture the
most powerful states will already have internalized a broadly liberal identity. The cultural norms of the democratic peace will therefore have
achieved a taken-for-granted status amongst the dominant units. Individual
states may resist selection processes. Nevertheless, paradoxically, the
stronger the potential challenge a state may pose to the core, the more
constrained by the system it will be. In order to maintain the high levels
of performance necessary to maintain great power status, actors will be
exposed to intense pressures to adopt the behavioural practices of the
core. There are, therefore, powerful background pressures within the international system encouraging states to comply with the norms of the
democratic peace.
However, despite the existence of these powerful background pressures,
a focus solely on compliance does not fully capture the complex dynamics
encouraging the spread of liberal norms. This is because the socialization
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effects generated by the democratic peace can open up a permissive space
that allows them to engage in cultural change through the exercise of
voluntary agency. Huntley indicates ways in which competition and socialization generate a ‘dialectical “causal loop”’ of self-reinforcing feedback
(Huntley 1996: 59). The socialization effects developed by the liberal core
encourage states at the margins of cultural change to adopt shifts in their
identity. This in turn feeds back into the properties of the system by
strengthening the dominance of the liberal core. Under these conditions,
the cultural choices made by units will greatly affect the degree of progressive momentum being generated by historical forces. The system will
achieve reflexivity, defined by Wendt as ‘a capacity for critical selfreflection . . . that helps . . . [actors] overcome a false sense of determinism’
(Wendt 1999: 375). At this stage, units acquire the autonomy of action
necessary for them to freely accept cultural change. Thus built into the
liberal model of socialization is a theoretical account of the general conditions under which voluntary cultural change on the part of units is possible
within the international system.
Of course, units may use their heightened autonomy of action to resist
pressures to engage in cultural change. Socialization dynamics will therefore be subject to cultural and institutional variation related to the impact
of domestic preferences on systemic norms. Moravcsik claims that for this
reason states domestic preferences should take causal priority in the liberal
model (Moravcsik 1997: 539–540). However, under these circumstances
the powerful background pressures in the international system capable of
generating compliance with liberal norms will exert their influence. Thus,
at least once these background pressures become well developed within
the international system, Moravcsik’s argument may be qualified. To
appropriate Wendt’s language, under these conditions there is ‘reason to
think that states will alter their identities over the course of an interaction’ (Wendt 1999: 367). After this stage, a period of lagged transition
can be expected as states adjust to the norms of the liberal core and
internalize cultural change. Overall, the trajectory of change within the
system becomes irreversible. In part this is due to the sunk costs involved
in resisting the dominant norms of the liberal core. It is also partly due
to the way in which the cultural norms of the core are internalized by
actors and are widely accepted as legitimate. However, the strongest reason
why regression is not likely is because of the snowballing generated by
the system. In a system that has achieved reflexivity, a situation emerges
in which structural and cultural change become mutually reinforcing.
In summary, two aspects of the liberal model have been highlighted.
First, liberalism adopts a transformational model of structure. Anarchy is
understood as recursively drawn into an ongoing process of cultural development within the international system. Second, due to its focus upon
socialization dynamics, it is legitimate to argue that liberalism postulates
a conception of the state as a reflexive rather than a rational actor. Like
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neorealism, liberalism provides a theory of state identity construction and
socialization within the international system related to its conception of
the generative consequences of anarchy. Whilst socialization dynamics will
be subject to domestic variation, the international system defines a selfreinforcing positive feedback loop encouraging long term convergence of
the international system around the democratic peace. Having outlined
the three models, Table 2.1 summarizes their central attributes.
Towards a general synthesis
Having analysed the three models, the relationship between neorealism,
institutionalism and liberalism and the prospects for a general synthesis
of their insights can be considered. The discussion is framed around a
comparison of the ‘linear’ and the ‘triangular’ conceptualizations of the
relationship between the three theories. Each of these conceptualizations
suggests the possibility of a general synthesis. However, they differ over
the terms on which such a synthesis can be achieved. In turn, this has
important implications for the content of research programmes within the
discipline after the Cold War.
Keohane has characterized institutionalism in terms of a mid-point
between the two extremes of neorealism and liberalism. He argues that
‘institutionalists accept a version of liberal principles that eschews determinism and that emphasises the pervasive significance of international
institutions without denigrating the role of state power’ (Keohane 1989a:
11). Understood in these terms, institutionalism is uniquely positioned to
subsume the best features of both the neorealist and liberal perspectives.
On the basis of his understanding of neorealism, Keohane reasons that
neorealism and institutionalism share rationalist assumptions. By contrast,
although institutionalism and liberalism have a common concern with
international institutions, their approaches differ because the former is
rationalist and the latter reflectivist. This suggests the intuitively plausible
argument that neorealism is closer to institutionalism in terms of its understanding of the composition and dynamics of the international system
than are neorealism and liberalism. Keohane’s argument might be syncretic
Table 2.1 Summary of theoretical framework
Neorealism
Institutionalism
Liberalism
Key variable
State-as-actor
Status of anarchy
Material
structure
Institutional
structure
Cultural
structure
Ambiguous
Reproductive
Rational
Reproductive
Reflexive
Transformative
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I
Rationalism
41
L
Reflectivism
Figure 2.1 The linear model
rather than synthetic in as much as it could be understood as proposing
a choice between either rationalist or reflectivist approaches to the study
of world politics. Yet this seems unlikely because the statement from
Keohane quoted above clearly claims that institutionalism incorporates
the most persuasive elements of both the neorealist and liberal perspectives. By modelling cooperation on the basis of rationalist premises,
Keohane seeks an institutionalist middle way. Such an analysis implies a
‘linear’ conceptualization of the relationship between neorealism, institutionalism and liberalism. Institutionalism is seen as providing the point
of synthesis on a spectrum that runs between neorealism and liberalism
as depicted in Figure 2.1.
Keohane’s opinions on the relationship between schools of thought have
led directly to his assertions on future research within the discipline.
He suggests that future research should attempt to refine rationalist
models. Theoretical debates should focus on the conditions under which
states will be concerned about relative and absolute gains. Empirically,
researchers should test neorealism against institutionalism in the emerging
post-Cold War international system (Keohane 1993: 273–291). With the
end of the Cold War, neorealists have anticipated that the tendency of
the international system to encourage states to pursue balancing strategies
will mean that a phase of US led unipolarity will revert to a more complex
multipolar order prone to great power conflicts and even war. Major
secondary states identified as the unified Germany, Japan and China are
likely to seek to restore equilibrium in the balance of power by bringing
US power into check (Mearsheimer 1990; Layne 1993; Waltz 1993;
Mearsheimer 2001). Institutionalists have responded that the presence of
well-developed patterns of economic and institutional interdependence
between states in a West European context means that neorealism and
institutionalism develop divergent hypotheses about international change
(Keohane 1993: 272–273). Thus Western Europe provides the most fruitful
context in which to test competing rationalist theories. By contrast, in
East Asia there are candidates for polar status whilst patterns of economic
and institutional interdependence inherited from the Cold War era are
less well developed. In this regional context, the logic of institutionalist
arguments indicates that it is less able to challenge neorealism’s pessimism
about the future (Buzan and Segal 1994: Friedberg 1994; Friedberg 2000;
Mearsheimer 2001).
However, it is possible to question the interpretation of neorealism put
forward by Keohane. Instead of making rational actor assumptions,
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neorealism may be understood as providing an incipient theory of state
identity construction and socialization related to its conception of the
generative consequences of anarchy. Understood in this way, neorealism
adopts a reflexive logic and is closer to liberalism than it is to institutionalism’s rational choice framework. Rather than conceiving of the
relationship between neorealism, institutionalism and liberalism in terms
of a linear spectrum, it becomes possible to conceptualize the relationship
in triangular terms. Within such a conceptualization, debates between
neorealists and institutionalists constitute the rationalist leg of the triangle
because neorealism’s commitment to a positional model of structure means
that it can be viewed as amenable to a rationalist interpretation. By
contrast, debates between neorealists and liberals about the generative
consequences of anarchy and the overall trajectory of identity construction and socialization within the international system constitute the
reflexivist leg of the triangle. The triangular model of the relationship
between neorealist, institutionalist and liberal theories is illustrated in
Figure 2.2.
Such a conceptualization calls into question the validity of Keohane’s
claim that institutionalism provides the strongest basis for subsuming the
research programmes of competing approaches. It suggests that liberalism’s
focus on the generative consequences of anarchy and the overall trajectory of socialization within the international system is likely to be more
productive in the search for a general synthesis of competing theories than
attempts by institutionalists to refine rationalist models. Liberalism’s most
important characteristic in this regard is its ability to provide an account
of how patterns of socialization within the international system might vary
historically. The account of variation in socialization offered by liberalism
may be described as follows. In the early stages of development, the international system will operate within the ranges predicted by neorealism.
The distribution of material capabilities will be the dominant factor motivating state behaviour, and institutional density will be limited. The system
NR
Rationalist
(Rational choice)
I
Figure 2.2 The triangular model
Reflexivist
(Identity construction/
socialization)
L
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will be characterized by regular wars and the recurrent formation of
balances of power. Institutional density will rise as the effects of competition and socialization become entrenched and there is cultural change
within the system. Assuming that competition and socialization encourage
cultural change at a constant rate over time, institutional density will rise
gradually within the system. A modification to the basic liberal model is
possible that incorporates the insights of institutionalism. In this scenario
certain levels of functional cooperation are considered a prerequisite to
the emergence of a relatively stable core of liberal democratic states.
Once this point has been reached, socialization effects generated by the
democratic peace can begin to operate and institutional density will rise
more rapidly. The overall trend produces a ‘kinked’ pattern of development in which the rate of cultural change within the system speeds up
dramatically beyond a certain stage of maturity.
Incorporating institutionalist insights sequentially into an account of
the historical development of the international system highlights the
leg of the triangle that links institutionalism with liberalism. As SterlingFolker identifies, to separate out functional and cultural explanations
on the grounds that the former is rationalist and the latter is reflexivist
creates a crude and ultimately unnecessary ontological divide between
them. Arguments about functional institutional efficiency can complement
constructivist insights if it is recognized that environmental circumstances
are in a process of evolution. Over time, functional logics can generate
selection effects in which the organizational forms that survive are the
product of an efficient history. Similarly, institutionalist arguments contain
a role for identity transformation because any self-interested actor’s choice
is always embedded in a larger set of social practices and identities.
Successive acts of cooperation can through feedback create effects which
otherwise would be inexplicable if interests were held constant. Rather
than drawing a rigid divide between the two logics, the choice instead
‘amounts to explaining short term, behavioural cooperation in the moment
or its development into communal cooperation and systemic transformation in the future’ (Sterling-Folker 2000: 113). Similar themes have
emerged in the debates between Buzan and Little. Buzan has drawn on
the functional logic associated with neorealism to show how states locked
into a competitive international system and lacking a common culture will
eventually be pushed into developing a basic international society. Little
has argued that there is no reason to expect that this process cannot work
the other way around, with states from an outer sector of international
society only being permitted to join the inner sector once states in the
outer sector have accepted their cultural norms (Buzan 1993; Little 1995).
Overall, the triangular conception of the relationship between neorealism,
institutionalism and liberalism provides a potential framework for integrating different forms of explanation into a single coherent account of
the overall historical development of the international system.
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The modified scenario also provides a useful supplement to the account
of structural change developed by Wendt. Wendt has identified four ‘master
variables’ capable of driving transformation in the cultural structure of
the international system: interdependence, homogeneity, common fate,
and self-restraint. Each of these factors will be present in an international
system characterized by a strong convergence of liberal preferences. However, Wendt also recognizes that although these master variables are
necessary conditions for structural transformation, they are not sufficient
ones. This is because transformation requires ‘not just that identities
change, but that their frequency and distribution cross a threshold at
which the logic of the structure tips over into a new logic’ (Wendt 1999:
365). The existence of such a threshold supplies the ‘missing link’ in
Wendt’s account by highlighting the significance of a point of criticality
in a developmental sequence of change in the international system.
Criticality may be identified as a point at which a system’s emergent properties switch, resulting in a dramatic change in patterns of alignment
within it. The system effects that are envisaged by the liberal model are
therefore different to those identified by neorealism. The neorealist model
envisages linear effects, in which negative feedback promotes homeostatic
reproduction. By contrast, system effects in the liberal model are nonlinear because there is ‘a disproportion between the magnitude of the
cause and the results, which will depend on the system as a whole’ (Jervis
1997: 146). After the point of criticality, what were initially small and
insignificant changes within the system suddenly produce an enormous
change in its overall characteristics. A ‘cascade’ or ‘catastrophe jump’ is
triggered as the system’s old equilibrium condition becomes unstable and
is replaced by a new one (Rosenau 1984: 262; Nicholson 1989: 170–171;
Finnemore and Sikkink 1998: 901). An example from the physical world
is the type of spinning top designed so that once it reaches a certain
velocity its centre of gravity shifts and it flips to spin on its head. Such
a point is provided by the emergence of a stable core of liberal democratic states. Until this stage, the existence of democratic states may have
some effect on international behaviour, but does not result in a fundamental shift in the emergent properties of the system. After this point,
however, the structure of interaction within the system alters. Reflexivity
is achieved as the socialization effects generated by emergence of the core
begin to transform overall patterns of alignment within it.
It seems plausible to hypothesize that an obvious point of historical
reference for the emergence of a critical mass of liberal democratic states
is provided by the recent collapse of the Soviet Union. Liberalism is
uniquely positioned to both explain this development, and account for
why it might constitute a point of enormous significance for the overall
course of historical change in world politics. First, the liberal model could
plausibly claim to provide an endogenous account of the collapse of the
Soviet Union. Exponents of neorealism and institutionalism have both
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argued that the sudden and unexpected end of the Cold War is best viewed
as an exogenous shock to the international system. According to Waltz,
the Soviet collapse was a unit level development that has produced structural effects, thus accounting for the collapse of the Soviet Union is beyond
the purview of systemic theory (Waltz 1993: 49). Keohane has likened
the event to the impact of a meteor strike in the study of palaeontology.
It is not, therefore, a development which social scientists ought to have
been expected to have predicted (Keohane 1996: 463). By contrast, the
liberal model is capable of viewing the Soviet collapse as itself being symptomatic of overall historical trends within the international system. In
particular, this development may be understood as reflecting cultural selection processes arising from the long-term effects of competition and
socialization under anarchy. This does not imply that the Soviet Union’s
successor state, Russia, has itself become a fully liberal democratic republic.
However, it does reflect the way in which rigidity of the Soviet political
system simply proved unable to keep pace with the more adaptable liberal
states of the West. In this view, the collapse of the Soviet Union, one of
the most important developments in world politics in the second half of
the twentieth century, was not merely an isolated development reflecting
a peculiar conjunction of forces in a particular historical context. Instead,
the demise of Soviet communism is perfectly compatible with the long
term patterns of change in international politics postulated by liberalism
(Huntley 1996: 65–72; Harrison 2002: 156–161).
Moreover, liberalism may shed light on the wider historical significance
of the collapse of the Soviet Union for the development of world politics. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, it seems plausible to hypothesize
that the international system is now overwhelmingly dominated by a stable
core of liberal democratic states for the first time in world history. There
have been theoretical debates about the extent of norm convergence
required to push the international system beyond the point of criticality.
Finnemore and Sikkink estimate that at least one-third of total states
would have to adopt a given norm before a tipping point is reached.
However, they also acknowledge that attempts to quantify the tipping
point are likely to prove elusive because not all states have equal weight
within the system (Finnemore and Sikkink 1999: 901). Wendt takes a
more sophisticated approach that recognizes the open-ended nature of the
critical threshold. He proposes that criticality should simply be viewed as
being ‘multiply realisable’, by which he means that it may be realized by
different combinations of states that have internalized different cultural
norms to different degrees. There is thus no one necessary route that must
be taken to achieve it (Wendt 1999: 342–343). However, one of the
frequently commented upon features of the post-Cold War order is the
emergence of a relatively stable cluster of liberal states at its centre.
Goldieger and McFaul have proposed that a core-periphery formation has
displaced polarity as the international system’s dominant structural feature
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(Goldieger and McFaul 1992: 467–491). Robert Cooper provides a threetier model of structure divided into a ‘postmodern’ centre, a ‘premodern’
periphery and a ‘modern’ semi-periphery (Cooper 1998). Buzan suggests
a continuum, arguing that patterns of uneven development are likely to
produce concentric circles of commitment to the norms of a core as the
international system matures (Buzan 1993: 349). Each of these approaches
provide a strong precedent in the literature that is entirely compatible
with the hypothesis that the collapse of the Soviet Union reflects one route
on a multiply realizable path to change in the cultural structure of the
international system.
Viewing the collapse of the Soviet Union as symptomatic of a shift in
the cultural structure of the international system generates a much broader
research programme than that proposed by the debate which has taken
place between neorealists and institutionalists. Huntley draws on liberal
insights to hypothesize that in the post-Cold War era powerful systemic
forces exists which will encourage the spread of a peaceful structure
of great power relations in world politics. In particular, he argues that
liberalism anticipates that a form of ‘bandwagoning’ behaviour will emerge
between the major states. This contrasts with the balance of power configuration anticipated by neorealism, and unlike institutionalism relies on
more than institutional inertia to anticipate an alternative future (Huntley
1996: 70–71). Huntley’s bandwagoning metaphor suggests a strikingly
similar pattern of development to the notion that the democratic peace
may have begun to generate powerful socialization effects that are encouraging its world-wide spread. Two features serve to distinguish such a
pattern empirically from the trends envisaged by both neorealism and
institutionalism. The first relates to the geographic scope of the spread of
peaceful relations between the major powers. Liberalism predicts that
a peaceful structure of great power relations will emerge at a global
level, even in regions such as East Asia where there are candidates for
polar status but patterns of economic and institutional independence
are poorly developed. This reflects the socialization effects arising from
the liberal core and their effect on the system’s periphery. A second distinctive feature of liberal predictions is the stress it places on the impact
of systemic forces on the domestic political structure of the major powers
within the international system. Liberalism anticipates that a period of
lagged transition will emerge during which key states will come under
sustained pressure to internalize the norms of the democratic peace.
The pattern of change in the internal identity structure of states therefore
also generates a set of predictions about behavioural tendencies within
the international system that is discrete to the liberal model. Overall,
liberalism offers a research agenda that is both more extensive geographically and penetrates more deeply into domestic-international interactions than that which has resulted from debates between neorealist
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and institutionalists. This agenda is able to separate predictions of liberal
theory from competing theoretical perspectives, and also indicates a
potential set of behavioural criteria through which these predictions
may be measured. Viewed in this way, the end of the Cold War has
opened up a unique historical context in which to comparatively assess
the predictions of different theoretical models of international politics
(Huntley 1996: 72).
In summary, it is possible that prominent institutionalists have misconstrued the nature of the relationship between neorealism, institutionalism
and liberalism, and in so doing underestimated the possibilities for a
general synthesis of their insights. Keohane has proposed a linear conceptualization of the relationship between the three schools. Understood
in these terms, attempts to refine rationalist models provide the most
fruitful way forward for the discipline. The research programme that
follows from this focuses on a relatively narrow range of theoretical
issues, and moreover on a European rather than a global context. It also
implies that theories of the international system developed during the
Cold War do not have to be revised fundamentally in the light of developments in international politics over the post-Cold War period. However,
it is possible to dispute the validity of such a research agenda by questioning the interpretation of neorealism as a rationalist theory. Instead,
neorealism might be viewed as adopting a reflexive logic focusing on
selection and socialization arising from the generative consequences of
anarchy. This implies a triangular conceptualization of the relationship
between the three theories in which debates between neorealists and
institutionalists constitute its rationalist leg, and debates between neorealists and liberals constitute its reflexivist leg. Understood in these terms,
liberalism’s focus on the generative consequences of anarchy and long
term socialization dynamics in the international system is likely to be
more productive in the search for a general synthesis of competing theories of international relations than institutionalists’ attempts to refine
rationalist models. This is because of the ability of liberalism to offer a
fully generative model of the international system providing an account
of how socialization dynamics within it may vary historically. These
conclusions indicate that the collapse of the Soviet Union may have more
profound implications for the international system than institutionalists
anticipate. In concluding his recent book, Wendt suggests that the central
question faced by the field today is ‘can the states system achieve reflexivity . . . and what are the implications if it does?’ (Wendt 1999: 375).
Liberalism hypothesizes that with the collapse of the Soviet Union and
the emergence of a critical mass of liberal states, the international system
has achieved reflexivity. In turn, this has resulted in a dramatic shift in
the pace of cultural change and the overall trajectory of socialization
within it.
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Conclusions
One of the most distinctive features of debates within international
relations over the past quarter of a century has been the attempt to develop
systemic theory. Systemic theory offers parsimonious, general explanations
of patterns of behaviour in international politics, and promises the discipline the logical rigour and explanatory insight that its status as a modern
social science demands. However, debates that have taken place between
neorealists and institutionalists have become increasingly unproductive,
both theoretically and empirically. Even major contributors to the debate
have long recognized that it has ‘tended to obscure rather than clarify’
(Powell 1994: 313 and 344). Yet the reason for this failure is not that
the attempt by institutionalists to criticize neorealism on its own terms is
misconceived. A more sophisticated approach might be to recognize that
Keohane and subsequent institutionalists have relied upon an uncritical
understanding of the relationship between schools of thought. They have
adopted a linear model of the relationship between neorealism, institutionalism and liberalism in which institutionalism is seen as providing
the point of synthesis on a spectrum that runs between neorealism and
liberalism. As such it is viewed as the model that is most able to reconcile the competing claims of alternative positions. Whilst superficially
plausible, such a view of the relationship between schools of thought
underestimates the significance of similarities between neorealism and liberalism. Indeed, it is possible that it has been institutionalism’s commitment
to rationalism that has actively blocked the development of a model of
the international system compatible with liberal insights. A more nuanced
approach proposes a triangular understanding of the relationship between
the three models, with debates between neorealists and institutionalists
constituting its rationalist leg, and debates between neorealists and liberals
constituting its reflexivist leg. Such a conceptualization allows a fuller
appreciation of the complex linkages that exist between the three schools.
Moreover, it highlights the way in which liberalism’s focus on the generative consequences of anarchy allows it to subsume the combined research
programmes of neorealism and institutionalism.
Finally, these theoretical considerations have important implications for
the content of research programmes within the discipline in the post-Cold
War period. Proponents of neorealism, institutionalism and liberalism have
identified that the collapse of the Soviet Union provides an historic opportunity to test their competing theoretical claims. Neorealists have developed
a pessimistic analysis of the nature of systemic change after the Cold War,
predicting a return to conflictual multipolarity on a global scale. The
responses derived from institutionalism and liberalism varies considerably.
On the basis of their preference for refining rationalist models, institutionalists have suggested that the discipline should focus on testing a
relatively narrow range of propositions about the conditionality of relative
Reassessing the logic of anarchy: rationality versus reflexivity
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gains seeking, and to do so primarily within a European context. In making
these claims, however, institutionalists have not fully considered the way
in which the collapse of the Soviet Union, one of the most significant
developments in world politics over the past half-a-century, was not
predicted by either neorealist or institutionalist international relations
theory. As such, they do not give enough consideration to the possibility
that the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a relatively stable
body of liberal democratic states has raised fundamental questions about
the long-term historical dynamics embodied by the international system.
By contrast, the liberal model is capable of both accounting for this development in terms of the long run effects of anarchy, and of providing a
richer and more challenging agenda for research into the nature of postCold War international change. International relations specialists can and
must learn from the debates between neorealists and institutionalists that
have taken place over the last two-and-a-half decades in order to revitalize systemic theory for the post-Cold War period. However, to do so
they need to engage critically with what have become deeply ingrained
theoretical assumptions, and think imaginatively about the overall trajectory of international political change at the turn of the century.
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German foreign policy after
the Cold War
The reunification of Germany was one of the most striking manifestations
of the changes in the European order associated with the end of the Cold
War. This event, perhaps more than any other, symbolized the withdrawal
of Soviet power from Eastern Europe and the collapse of the bipolar international system that had dominated world politics since the end of the
Second World War. Yet grounds for optimism about this development
were also tinged with a re-emergence of more traditional anxieties about
the future of the European order. Unification reopened the issue of
Germany’s effects on the stability of the international system. From 1870
to 1945, the European order had been plagued by the so-called ‘German
Question’, stemming from Germany’s emergence as a major state and
the consequences of this for the balance of power. After the Second World
War, however, Germany’s division offered a temporary solution to this
problem. During this period, the Federal Republic of Germany became
a ‘semi-sovereign’ state in the sense that the predominant interpretation of Article 24 of the Federal Republic’s constitution precluded the
Bundeswehr’s involvement in anything other than ‘self-defence’ activities.
In addition, West Germany became firmly locked into patterns of economic
interdependence and international institutions, notably NATO and the
European Economic Community, which emerged under the shelter provided by the bipolar Cold War international system. As a result, the
traditional geopolitical problems associated with the management of
German power in Europe were suppressed by the overwhelming imperatives of superpower rivalry. With the sudden collapse of the Soviet bloc,
however, the German problem suddenly and unexpectedly re-emerged as
a central issue. This chapter applies neorealist, institutionalist and liberal
models of international relations to analysing the strategies adopted by
Germany over the 1989 to 1999 period. On the basis of this discussion,
conclusions are drawn about the nature of Germany’s response to the end
of the Cold War, and the strategic choices it faces in the emerging international system.
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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Neorealism
Despite differences in emphasis, prominent neorealists have arrived at
broadly pessimistic conclusions about the role a united Germany will
play in the emerging structure of international politics (Mearsheimer 1990;
Layne 1993; Waltz 1993; Mearsheimer 2001). Mearsheimer predicts a
return to multipolarity within Europe, whilst the emphasis of Layne and
Waltz is on the emergence of multipolarity at a global level, with Germany,
Japan and China rising to balance US power. However, there are underlying similarities between their predictions about German foreign policy.
Each sees unification leading Germany to seek much greater prominence
within the international system. Moreover, each recognizes that in the
absence of a strong Soviet threat there is much less need for Germany
to remain tied to the security guarantee provided by NATO. Germany is
therefore likely to become more assertive in defence of its national interests, and act more independently in pursuit of its foreign policy objectives.
A more moderate position compatible with a modified version of neorealism
that retains affinities with neorealist arguments has been offered by a
number of analysts (Baring 1994; Garton Ash 1994; Gillessen 1994; Joffe
1994; Schollgen 1994; Schwarz 1994; Bluth 1995; Otte 2000). Whilst such
analyses have a different emphasis to neorealism’s starker predictions, they
do support the neorealist claim that changes in the international system
will encourage Germany to behave more independently within multilateral
institutions than it has in the past.
Neorealists could identify various aspects of the unification process as
reflecting their predictions about Germany’s post-Cold War strategies. First,
the Kohl administration failed to consult Anglo-French opinion on the
issue of German unification before making this policy a stated objective.
Second, negotiations over unification with the Soviet Union and Poland
were conducted bilaterally. The Germans negotiated with the Soviets
independently before taking the agreed conditions for unification to be ratified within the Two-Plus-Four framework. In the case of Poland, Kohl
apparently hesitated to guarantee the Oder-Neisse as a permanent eastern
border (Horsley 1992: 230–232; Muller 1993: 129 and 146–150). These
events point to a refusal of German statesmen to contemplate use of
multilateral decision-making frameworks in cases of decisions where vital
interests may be at stake, and a willingness to contemplate violation of
existing international law when this conflicts with potential future German
territorial gains. They also illustrate just how quickly sloppy diplomatic
conduct could unintentionally re-establish traditional security anxieties in
a European context. Regardless of Germany’s actual intentions, countries
such as Britain, France and Poland suffered considerable worries about
German behaviour during this period.
Further evidence in support of neorealist hypotheses comes from German
behaviour in international crisis situations in the early post-unification
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German foreign policy after the Cold War
period. In December 1991, on the eve of the Maastricht summit, Germany
announced that it would formally recognize Slovenia and Croatia by the
end of the year even if this meant doing so unilaterally. This promoted EC
recognition of these countries in January 1991, and Germany had used the
threat of unilateral action to prompt a change in the European line (Muller
1993: 152). By contrast, it is Germany’s apparent weakness during the Gulf
crisis that may be cited as evidence of a reluctance to pursue multilateralism. The German government contributed over DM16 billion to the coalition, and made limited deployments in Turkey and in the Eastern
Mediterranean (Muller 1993: 138; Otte 2000: 93). However, it was unwilling to commit ground forces to the area of action, unlike Britain, France
and Italy. Salmon has noted that Germany is one of ‘a number of states
[which] have fairly consistently maintained their freedom of manoeuvre’ in
the crises in the former Yugoslavia and the Gulf. He argues that both crises
illustrate ‘that while consensus might readily be achieved . . . on second
order problems, on matters of first order importance . . . [there arose] forced
fissures in policy and actions’ by EC countries, including Germany (Salmon
1992: 235 and 248). This argument implies that Germany has shown a pronounced tendency to place its own interests over a common international
response, and ‘free-ride’ on other states if this reduces the risks it faces.
As the 1990s progressed Germany showed a growing tendency to engage
in the use of military force outside of the NATO area in return for substantial gains in influence. This became acutely apparent to German statesmen
in the light of the weakness of their diplomacy in the Gulf conflict and
the early stages of the Yugoslav crisis. As a result, during the first half
of the 1990s the German government began an incremental process of
adjustment in its participation in multilateral institutions. After the Gulf
War the government began to authorize deployment of Bundeswehr technical and medical support groups, most notably in Cambodia and Somalia
in 1992 to 1993. Participation of German crews in AWACS (Airborne
Warning and Control Systems) flights deployed to enforce the UN authorized ‘no-fly zone’ in Bosnia between 1993 and 1995 also played a major
role in the government’s step-by-step preparation of public opinion for
an out of area role for German forces. Participation in interventions in
Somalia and Bosnia led to a series of debates in the Federal Constitutional
Court over the legality of this behaviour in the light of Article 24. These
debates were finally resolved by a July 1994 ruling, which made it clear
that German forces could participate in military operations outside the
NATO area as long as they took place under UN auspices and were
approved by the Bundestag (Hyde-Price 2001: 145–147). During the first
half of the 1990s Germany also undertook a major reorientation of defence
planning to deal with multilateral crisis management by allowing more
flexible responses to international crises and to increase its capacities to
project the use of military force outside of the NATO area (Linnenkamp
1993: 100; Gutjahr 1995: 311; Otte 2000: 112).
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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During the second half of the 1990s the trend towards a more active
German military role became more pronounced. The massacre in Srebrenica
in 1995 was a major catalyst for change on the part of the German left,
leading many within the SDP and Greens to shed their traditional pacifism.
The result was that by the mid-1990s a new cross-party consensus had
emerged amongst the German elite around the legitimacy of humanitarian
intervention. This underpinned authorization of 4,000 non-combat troops
to participate in the post-Dayton IFOR peace implementation force in
Bosnia (Lefebre and Lombardi 1996). When SFOR took over from IFOR
in 1996, Germany’s contingent including combat forces and troops were
regularly stationed in Bosnia itself. However, the most significant shift in
Germany’s policy with respect to the use of force abroad came in 1999 during the Kosovo crisis. Germany participated in air strikes during NATO’s
Operation Deliberate Force, and contributed some 8,000 ground troops to
the subsequent KFOR peace implementation force (Baumann and Hellmann
2001: 67 and 75). The sheer scale of the operation and the extent of German
military forces deployed in an offensive capacity constituted major developments in German foreign policy. However, Germany’s involvement was
even more remarkable in two respects. First, the intervention took place
despite a major shift in government to an SDP-Green coalition. It therefore
demonstrated the extent of the emerging elite consensus with respect to
the issue of Germany’s involvement in the use of military force in an
out of area capacity (Otte 2000: 196). Second, air strikes carried out by
NATO took place without a clear UN mandate, and in the face of strong
opposition from Russia. They therefore moved well beyond previous steps
in this direction (Hyde-Price 2001: 158–159). Overall, a case can be made
that during the 1990s Germany has undergone a ‘return to normality’ in
its foreign policy (Heilbrun 1994: 48). In line with neorealist predictions,
it has shed many of its constitutional and political misgivings on this
matter in the light of the weaknesses of a purely diplomatic response to
international crises.
Neorealists might also point to German efforts to strengthen European
defence integration over the 1990s, and the problems this generates for its
participation in NATO. In the run-up to the Maastricht Treaty, Germany
was a leading actor pushing for closer defence integration. Negotiations
with the French over the 1990–1991 period formed the basis of the provisions for a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) that were contained in the eventual Treaty On European Union. Whilst instruments for
achieving a common defence policy could not be agreed, Germany advanced
negotiations bilaterally with France outside of the formal EC framework
during the same period. This culminated in October 1991 when the two
countries announced the creation of a European corps (‘Eurocorps’) for the
Western European Union (WEU) that would become operational in 1995.
In June 1992, the announcement of the Petersberg Tasks specified that the
function of the Eurocorps was to defend the territory of NATO and WEU
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German foreign policy after the Cold War
allies, provide humanitarian assistance and conduct peacekeeping and
peacemaking operations in an out of area context. However, the ambitious
scope of the Eurocorps proposal caused anxiety in Britain and the United
States, with both expressing concerns that Germany intended the measure
to weaken NATO (Horsley 1992: 235; Muller 1993: 156). In the run-up
to the Amsterdam IGC, Germany pushed for and achieved integration of
the Petersberg Tasks into the CFSP. It also aimed for Qualified Majority
Voting (QMV) to be partially extended to CFSP in order to facilitate the
creation of ‘coalitions of the willing’ conducting missions under EU auspices, and pressed for the appointment of a High Representative For Foreign
Policy in the EU. The Kosovo crisis gave further impetus to the development of the CFSP, including agreement on incorporation of the WEU into
the EU framework, and establishment of a 60,000 strong rapid reaction
corps capable of conducting EU-led missions autonomously from NATO
(Hyde-Price 2001: 196). However, these developments have again created
complications for Germany’s transatlantic relations. While the Clinton
administration was supportive of efforts to strengthen the ‘European Pillar’
of the Alliance, it remains concerned about the emergence of an EU caucus
within NATO, and the sequencing of European and NATO-led operations
(Hyde-Price 2001: 198). Neorealists might plausibly interpret these diplomatic difficulties as reflecting nascent tensions in German diplomacy, and
the emergence of a more multipolar international structure in which
America and its key European allies pursue conflicting objectives. From this
perspective, Germany is using European defence cooperation to pursue its
interests separately from an Atlantic framework and as a diplomatic vehicle with which to develop a more active military dimension to its foreign
policy.
Indeed, neorealists might cite other evidence in favour of Germany
having weakened its ties to NATO. Whilst it has generally favoured internal
reform and expansion of the alliance over the 1990s, this strategy has
not been pursued without costs. With the dissolution of the Soviet empire
in East Europe and the unification of Germany, the Federal Republic has
acquired a considerable range of new security interests in the East-Central
European area (Drake 1997). In addition, the decline in the immediate
threat of an invasion by Russia from the East means that it has less need
to remain firmly anchored to the security guarantee that NATO provides.
Neorealists therefore argue that it is now more likely for Germany to be
predisposed to developing favourable relations with Russia than it was
during the Cold War (Otte 2000: 181). Germany’s participation in NATO
activities over the 1990s has, however, generated strains in its relations
with Russia, and this has led German elites into a series of significant
internal debates. The tensions between the unified Germany’s interests in
developing its relations with Russia and participation in NATO first
became apparent in debates over NATO enlargement in the early 1990s.
Disputes emerged in the early to mid-1990s between Defence Minister
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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Ruhe who favoured enlargement and Foreign Minister Kinkel who objected
to it on account of Russian concerns. These were eventually resolved by
Chancellor Kohl who came down in favour of enlargement in the face
of US aims at the 1994 Brussels summit (Tewes 2001: 12–16). Germany
has engaged in initiatives designed to placate Russian fears over NATO
expansion. German support for further institutionalization of the CSCE
and its transformation into the OSCE became one of Germany’s foreign
policy priorities in the second half of 1994. Moreover, as a result of an
intense flurry of diplomatic visits to Russia by Kohl in 1996 to 1997,
Germany played a central role in the negotiation of the NATO-Russia
Permanent Joint Council, a consultative body that came into being in
1997 to strengthen NATO’s ties with Russia (Tewes 2001: 18–19). However, both the OSCE and NATO-Russia agreement are institutionally weak,
and may be viewed as at best papering over underlying divergences in
Germany’s interests in NATO. Similarly, although Germany participated
in intervention in Kosovo, in diplomacy preceding the crisis Germany
placed emphasis on achieving a negotiated settlement, and during the
conflict maintained close diplomatic connections with Russia (Hyde-Price
2001: 158–159). Again, this may be interpreted by neo-realists as reflecting the loosening of Germany’s Atlantic ties and the emergence of a multipolar constellation of interests in the European security order.
Aspects of Germany’s economic diplomacy since 1989 are also amenable
to a neorealist interpretation. Germany’s role in the GATT during the
early to mid-1990s revealed tensions between its obligations to France as
its key partner in European integration and its commitment to the broader
international economic order. France and the US came into dispute in
negotiations over subsidies to agriculture and audio-visual production.
The German government lent their support to France (at some economic
cost to themselves), thus forcing American concessions (Wood 1995:
229–231). Whilst this did not prevent conclusion of the Uruguay Round,
it did highlight tensions in Germany’s relations with the US and Europe.
Moreover, by the end of the 1990s Germany was taking a much more
forceful role in negotiations over agricultural trade liberalization with
France (Rittberger 2001: 249). Germany’s trade relations with Japan in
the early 1990s were not smooth, the automobile industry being particularly sensitive for both countries (Sato 1993: 378). Furthermore, in the
summer of 1992 the Bundesbank raised German interest rates in response
to inflationary pressures arising from the impact of unification. This caused
serious economic difficulties in southern European states, including France,
and most dramatically forced Britain’s exit from the ERM. This greatly
strained the Franco-German relationship, and also made Germany vulnerable to the accusation that it was using its position in European currency
markets to impose the costs of unification on its neighbours. This is
supported by the failure of German politicians to heed the advice offered
by the Bundesbank, which cautioned against rapid German Economic
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and Monetary Union (Lippert and Stevens-Strohmann 1993: 41). German
politicians seemed willing to suspend the imperatives of the Bundesbank
where the vital national interests were at stake, but not subsequently where
the interests of other ERM members were at risk. In support of neorealist
claims, therefore, there is evidence that Germany’s trade and financial
diplomacy has become more assertive and narrowly self-centred than in
the past.
With regard to Germany’s economic diplomacy within the EU, Heilbrun
goes as far as to propose that Germany is losing interest in deepening
European integration with France, and is instead attempting to achieve
hegemony over Eastern Europe. Heilbrun suggests:
Germany is using the widening of the EU as a means of emancipating
itself from France. The new EU members will allow Germany to
create a Northern bloc, whose new members are acutely aware of
their debt to Germany and they may look to Berlin rather than
Paris for direction.
(Heilbrun 1994: 46)
Kirschner (1996: 169) also recognizes this possibility. With regard to
EMU, differences of emphasis emerged in negotiations between Germany
and France over the so-called Stability Pact agreed in 1996 to facilitate
convergence of European economies prior to the launch of the Euro.
These disputes culminated in acrimonious disputes over the French desire
to have a Frenchman as head of the European Central Bank. Germany
has also taken a much firmer role in pushing for reductions in its contributions to the EU budget, and in routine budgetary battles in Brussels
(Anderson 1999: 49–52; Otte 2000: 149–151). Finally, Germany has
become increasingly sensitive to the tension between broadening and
deepening the EU arising from the problems associated with extension
of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and structural funds in the
event of enlargement. However, a further reason why enlargement
threatens Franco-German relations is the way in which the admission of
new members may unravel consensus within the EU. France is now
wary about extension of QMV and the power of the European parliament, which have been traditionally supported by Germany. France fears
they would increase the relative power of the unified Germany within
the EU, and shift its focus away from France and towards CentralEast European states (Hyde-Price 2001: 186–187). These developments
may be viewed by neorealists as reflecting tensions in the traditional
Franco-German entente within the European Union. On a neorealist
interpretation, this development places growing strains on the general
process of integration and reflects the beginning of the breakdown of the
international cooperation within Europe that emerged under the shelter
of the Cold War.
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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Overall, a range of developments may be interpreted in terms favourable
to neorealist predictions about German strategies since 1989. Significant
aspects of Germany’s behaviour point to the emergence of a more aggressively unilateral stance in international institutions. There are also signs
of incompatibilities of interest between a united Germany and the US,
as well as Germany’s European partners. This has been highlighted in
aspects of the unification process, Germany’s growing military role in
out-of-area missions, conflicts of interest within NATO over the WEU
and CFSP, the crisis within the ERM, and the issue of German influence
over Eastern Europe. These could point to splits within the Atlantic
Alliance, or the beginnings of a German hegemony in Europe. They therefore weigh in favour of neorealist analysis of a united Germany’s role in
the international system after the Cold War.
Institutionalism
Germany may reasonably be assumed to be locked into a complex pattern
of interdependent relations with the other advanced industrial democracies, and participates in a dense web of multilateral frameworks established
over the post-War period. Institutionalism predicts that, under these
conditions, international institutions can take on instrumental value for
states in pursuing their national interests. Where international cooperation brings net benefits for states in terms of enhancing their security or
welfare within the international system, states will pursue institutionalized activity. However, where institutionalization imposes net costs on
states, requiring considerable accommodation and adjustment on their
behalf, they are likely to reject institutional options.
Institutionalists can present a significant body of evidence to support their
predictions with respect to Germany’s strategies since 1989. First, it is not
clear that a neorealist interpretation of the unification process is entirely
satisfactory. Kohl expressly intended unification to be anchored within both
the EC and NATO. In the first quarter of 1990 alone, there were 29 meetings on German unity at head of state and ministerial level with Germany’s
European partners. Although Germany did not consult Britain or France
before negotiating with the Soviets, it did receive US backing (Muller 1993:
128). Furthermore, the terms for unification reflect a multilateral orientation. They ensured continued German membership of NATO, limitations
on the size and character of the Bundeswehr, and generous economic and
technical assistance to the Soviets (Macardle-Kelleher 1993: 20; Schlor
1993: 49). Germany became a signatory of the 1990 Conventional Forces
in Europe (CFE) Treaty in which it limited the size of the Bundeswehr to
370,000 (Linnenkamp 1993: 95). Kohl took the further step of renewing
Germany’s commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It is also
possible that a neorealist interpretation of the Polish Border incident is
inaccurate. Muller proposes that Kohl’s hesitation had little to do with
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strategic posturing, but instead reflected domestic electoral considerations
(Muller 1993: 145–147). Thus the argument that negotiations over unification were conducted bilaterally oversimplifies the extent to which this
process was heavily institutionalized. Indeed, Muller points out that ‘given
that the highest national interests were at stake, the unification process was
embedded in an astonishing web of consultations and mutual adjustments’
(Muller 1993: 129).
Germany’s post-unification strategies may also be interpreted in the
light of institutionalist theory. Over the 1990s Germany continued to
display very strong and continuous support for NATO (Otte 2000: 157).
Hyde-Price argues that the Alliance serves important functions for
Germany. NATO provides it with a firm security guarantee, offers a
visible demonstration of continuing integration with the West, ensures a
US commitment to European security, and represents a tried and tested
institutional framework. Germany’s support for NATO expansion may
also be understood with reference to the stabilizing effect this could bring
to its eastern border. Expansion has occurred through direct NATO
enlargement to include Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary (HydePrice 2001: 153). It has also occurred indirectly through the formation in
October 1991 of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC), now
the Partnership for Peace (PfP). Finally, Germany has also consistently
supported the CSCE/OSCE process itself over the post-Cold War period.
Although Germany does not see either NACC/PfP or the CSCE/OSCE as a
substitute for NATO, they do complement it in various ways (Hyde-Price
1996: 187–188). From an institutionalist perspective, Germany’s commitment to European security institutions reflects the functional benefits
they bring.
The evolution of Germany’s attitudes towards the use of force outside
the NATO area may also be interpreted as reflecting institutionalist predictions. Maull has argued that the united Germany will remain a ‘civilian
power’, displaying a strong commitment to multilateralism and ‘the concentration on non-military, primarily economic, means to secure national
goals’ (Maull 1991: 92). Maull’s analysis is compatible with institutionalism’s prediction that the multilateral frameworks in which Germany has
participated since the 1950s will continue to have value for it after the
Cold War. Maull suggests that Germany’s behaviour in both the Bosnia
and Kosovo crises supports his view that Germany adopts a civilian power
strategy. He argues that Germany’s low profile in the crisis in no way
suggests a decisive move away from Bonn’s post-War foreign policy orientation (Maull 1995; Maull 2000). Meiers identifies the benefits of such a
strategy, noting ‘when Germany takes a stronger policy line it raises suspicions amongst its allies. To prevent misconceptions . . . [Germany is able
to] pursue its policies . . . within the Euro-Atlantic framework’ (Meiers
1995: 96–97). Furthermore, Germany’s civilian power status provided it
with a continued security guarantee, and limited the financial expenditure
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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and human costs associated with increased military involvement. Thus it
may be argued that Germany has strong net incentives to continue to
make heavy use of established multilateral institutions with respect to the
use of force abroad.
Germany’s strategies towards economic regimes at both global and
regional levels may also be seen as supporting institutionalist claims. Since
unification, the German government has displayed a commitment to the
GATT/WTO, the IMF and the World Bank, and the G7/8. Despite tensions
between French and American interests over agricultural and audio-visual
trade liberalization, Germany managed to broker a compromise agreement
(Wood 1995: 231). Sato identifies that growth in trade and investment
between Germany and Japan are grounds for continued optimism about
their economic relationship (Sato 1993: 367–375). Germany’s role in the
resolution of the conflict over Japanese aid to the Soviet Union in 1991
may also be interpreted as indicating that Germany appreciated its interest
in brokering this diplomatic process. Katzenstein reflects this reasoning
when he notes that Germany’s willingness ‘expresses the awareness that
substantial Japanese aid would help to stabilise conditions in Russia
and enhance German security’ (Katzenstein 1993: 79). Germany has also
continued to provide both political and economic support for Russia
over the period since German unification, both through multi-lateral forums
such as the G7, the EU and GATT, as well as on a bilateral basis (Zhurkin
1996: 212–216). Again, institutionalists may interpret this as reflecting
a functional logic. Thus important aspects of Germany’s economic
strategies at a global level are potentially compatible with institutionalism’s
prediction that Germany, as a state with strong incentives to use international economic institutions, will tend to rely heavily upon them.
Aspects of Germany’s support for European integration may also favour
an institutionalist interpretation of its strategies. Since the end of the Cold
War, Germany has encouraged the deepening of European integration.
With France and the European Commission, it pushed for two Intergovernmental Conferences on economic, monetary and political union (Le
Gloannec 1993: 260). These began in December 1990, and culminated a
year later in the agreements reached at Maastricht in 1991, most notably
on pursuit of European Monetary Union (EMU). An implicit deal had
emerged between France and Germany on the conditions of reunification.
France traded acceptance of unification for its long sought after goal of
EMU, which it saw as a means to contain German power (Rice and Zelikow
1995: 123; Otte 2000: 46). In the event, the agreement on the IGC on
Political Union was largely of symbolic value because France discouraged
Germany from pursuing further political integration in order to maintain
its own sovereign autonomy. Nevertheless, France’s bargaining over unification and EMU may be viewed as an example of the cooperation for
mutual gains modelled by institutionalist theory. At the Amsterdam IGC
in 1997, Germany proposed weakening the Commission’s capability for
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legislative initiative, favouring strengthening of an inter-governmental role
through the European Council (Frenkler 2001: 41). Nevertheless, it did
maintain its commitment to strengthening QMV on all areas except asylum and immigration. It also supported strengthening the European
parliament’s role in the legislative process (Rittberger 2001: 198–202).
Institutionalists might view the combination of incremental hardening of
Germany’s diplomatic stance with persistence of a generally favourable attitude towards deepening European cooperation across a wide range of issues
as reflecting the way in which it finds use of European institutions instrumentally valuable in the pursuit of its national interests.
Germany has also been a leading proponent of the expansion of the
EU to include EFTA states and countries in Eastern Europe. This has
included spearheading the establishment of the PHARE and TACIS assistance funds for East European states established by the EU (Anderson
1999: 53). Widening the European Union helps the process of stabilizing
East-Central Europe, and offers Germany large gains from its comparative advantage in trade with this region (Otte 2000: 141–145). Thus in
line with institutionalist predictions, there are tangible benefits for Germany
in pursing this policy. Also in accordance with institutionalist theory,
Germany’s trade and aid policies in the Central and Eastern European
region are strongly multilateral in character because they are carried out
within the EU framework (Katzenstein 1997: 22). However, there remain
aspects of German strategies that are difficult to correlate with institutionalism’s predictions. Whilst Germany does have strong incentives to
either broaden or deepen the European Union, it is less clear that it is in
its interest to pursue both objectives simultaneously. The contradictions
involved in pursuit of such a policy have become increasingly apparent
because of the increases in the size of the EU budget that would occur if
the CAP and structural funds were extended to new members (Tewes
1998: 123). Institutionalism highlights the instrumental value of institutions. Where commitment to institutions creates considerable costs for
states, they will reject institutional options. Thus the kind of behaviour
predicted by institutionalism would be the advocacy by Germany of either
some form of ‘core Europe’, or alternatively, a ‘wider Europe’ (Gutjahr
1994; Hellmann 1996). The former envisages a core of West European
states pushing ahead with monetary and political union as provided for
in the Maastricht Treaty. The latter involves extension of the EU eastwards as a free trade area. The instrumental logic of institutionalist analysis
therefore implies that Germany should be making clearer choices between
broadening and deepening the EU.
Overall, the institutionalist model offers plausible explanations of many
aspects of German strategies since 1989. This includes aspects of the unification process, its commitment to Atlantic security institutions, its apparent
reluctance to take on military commitments abroad, its participation in
the global international economic system, and dimensions of Germany’s
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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strategies towards European integration. Whilst institutionalism suggests
that Germany is beginning to face important choices in its integration
strategies, there is evidence of significant continuity in Germany’s use of
international institutions over the post-Cold War period.
Liberalism 1: domestic variation
Liberalism predicts that domestic cultural and institutional variation will
be built into the dynamics displayed by the emerging international system.
The process of internalizing liberal norms will be affected by domestic coalitions within states reflecting embedded social identities, economic interests
and political institutions. For this reason, domestic preferences play a critical role in explaining international behaviour and outcomes in the liberal
model. Liberalism also anticipates that states that adopt preferences that
reflect a competitive security orientation or mercantilist economic tendency
will come under pressure to internalize a liberal identity. This prediction
will be assessed in the final section addressing the strategic choices faced by
the unified Germany. First, however, it is necessary to establish that domestic factors may plausibly be viewed as playing a more autonomous role in
shaping Germany’s foreign policy over the post-Cold War period than
anticipated by either neorealism or institutionalism.
Important aspects of Germany’s behaviour during the unification process
may be viewed as reflecting a distinctive set of foreign policy preferences.
First, the sheer generosity of the terms of unification agreed within the
Two-Plus-Four framework belies an interpretation of these measures as
an instrumental function of Germany’s interests. Under circumstances in
which pressures for unification had become virtually unstoppable, Germany
could have taken advantage of the intense uncertainty surrounding events
to push for a less onerous set of preconditions. Instead, however, it
consulted extensively with other major powers and agreed generous terms
that offered substantive benefits to both the US and France. Moreover, it
did so at considerable cost to the new German state’s sovereign rights.
Thus Katzenstein concludes that during the negotiations surrounding unification the ‘political reassurance that Kohl and Genscher could offer
indicated . . . that the West German political leadership had . . . internalised the norm of peaceful international cooperation’ (Katzenstein 1993:
76). Moreover, in the diplomacy surrounding unification Germany both
reaffirmed and deepened considerably its support for NATO and other
broader Euro-Atlantic security institutions. The terms in which German
politicians were thinking suggests that their use of NATO in this period
reflected not merely the instrumental value of its preservation, but a fundamental policy reflex. Anderson and Goodman identify that there is no
evidence of elite reappraisal of Germany’s membership in NATO occurring as a result of the prospect of unification. Instead, ‘the question posed
by German politicians was not whether to remain in the Atlantic Alliance
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German foreign policy after the Cold War
but rather how to adapt the alliance . . . to the rapidly changed circumstances on the continent’ (Anderson and Goodman 1993: 29). Thus
German strategies during the unification process may plausibly be viewed
as reflecting a deeply embedded preference for operating within the Atlantic
security framework.
Similarly, during the 1989–1990 period Germany actually deepened
considerably its support for the process of European integration, even
at potential risk to its future economic stability. In April 1990, Kohl
announced a willingness to waive Community structural fund assistance for
the former GDR, although the EC later refused to accept Kohl’s offer.
Furthermore, ‘[i]n the face of domestic concerns about the . . . risks of EMU,
voiced principally by the Bundesbank and the Ministry of Finance, the
Chancellor committed his country to accelerated progress toward . . . economic and political reform in the EC’ (Anderson and Goodman 1993: 32
and 33). Even given the risk of losing the economic stability and credibility associated with the Mark, Germany was prepared to make a major concession on EMU in order to signal reassurance to France. Thus in 1993
Katzenstein pointed to the way in which ‘despite German unification, the
expectations about the extent of political, economic and monetary integration far exceed those held when the EC92 process was launched . . . in
1987–1988’ (Katzenstein 1993: 77). Overall, increased German use of both
European integration and NATO during the unification period indicates
that its support for these institutions was not merely instrumental.
Anderson and Goodman have argued that during this period:
institutions . . . restructured and remolded German interests, so that, in
the eyes of German political elites, institutional memberships were not
merely instruments of policy but normative frameworks for policy making. The development of reflexive support for institutions . . . has played
an important role in shaping German interests since unification.
(Anderson and Goodman 1993: 24)
Drawing on Anderson and Goodman’s analysis, Keohane et al. have characterized Germany’s foreign policy preferences between 1989 and 1991
as ‘reflexively institutionalist: its institutional ties were viewed as intrinsic
to the German’s view of themselves’ (Keohane et al. 1993: 10 emphasis
added; see also Katzenstein 1993: 75).
Germany’s foreign policy over the post-1991 period has displayed a pattern of development that may be viewed as remaining broadly compatible
with Anderson and Goodman’s initial characterization of its preferences.
This has been clearly expressed in Germany’s policies with respect to EuroAtlantic security institutions. As has been noted, Germany has maintained
strong support for the development of NATO over the post-Cold War
period. At the same time, however, it has been among the leading states
pushing for the development of a European defence identity, and has also
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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63
played a central role in the development of the NACC/PfP and CSCE/OSCE.
As Duffield identifies, this ‘across-the-board’ approach to developing international security institutions poses a significant anomaly for institutionalist theory. Germany has attempted to develop a range of different
institutional forms simultaneously, despite the way in which these forums
may be of limited instrumental value (as in the case of the PfP/OSCE), or
may actually be dysfunctional (as when Germany’s partners have criticized
such an approach for being contradictory or even counter-productive)
(Duffield 1999: 143). Similarly, Germany has attempted to use new institutional initiatives, even if they are of minimal instrumental value, to reassure its key partners about its established institutional commitments. Thus
Schlor identified the way in which the real significance of NACC to German
statesmen was not so much in its security benefits for Eastern Europe, but
in its Atlantic connection: ‘NACC demonstrates Germany’s commitment to
NATO and can be used to deflect criticism about its involvement with the
CSCE and West European defence integration’ (Schlor 1993: 47). Overall,
Germany’s approach to developing international security governance in
Europe can be viewed as reflecting a distinctive national security culture
and an ingrained national preference for multilateralism.
Many commentators have argued that Germany’s stance towards the
issue of the use of force in out of area activities may be viewed in terms
of its foreign policy culture (Berger 1998; Banchoff 1999; Duffield 1999).
These commentators follow Maull and Meiers in arguing that the changes
in Germany’s attitudes towards the use of force over the 1990s have
changed only incrementally, and should not be viewed as representing a
fundamental shift in its attitudes. However, rather than explaining a
civilian power orientation in terms of incentives such as the signal this
sends to key allies, it is located in Germany’s distinctive foreign policy
identity and preferences. From this viewpoint, Germany remains strongly
affected by a ‘culture of restraint’ arising from the impact of its role in
the Second World War on its domestic political system. This is widely
understood within Germany as providing it with special responsibilities
pertaining to the use of force, and placing a particular obligation upon
it to adopt a low military profile. Some commentators have even extended
this reasoning by making the argument that Germany’s non-military orientation and focus on economic and European institutions has been a major
source of power for it. Germany’s power is over constitutive politics (the
power to shape the overall framework of international cooperation) rather
than over its regulative politics (specific policies within international institutions) (Bulmer 1997: 50). For example, Markovitz and Reich hold that:
armed forces are not the basis of Germany’s . . . power. Power lies
in the prominence of the German economy, the Deutsche Mark’s
strength; the Bundesbank’s role as de facto central bank for all of
Europe; the volume and profitability of German exports; the size of
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German foreign policy after the Cold War
German foreign investment; and varied forms of foreign ‘subsidies’.
The costs and benefits are palpable. Germany makes the most,
Germany pays the most – and on balance Germany wins.
(Markovitz and Reich 1997: 180–181)
Others have highlighted equally distinctive features of Germany’s preferences over European integration during the post-Cold War period.
Contrary to institutionalist predictions, these analysts see no necessary
contradiction between Germany making commitments to both broaden
and deepen the EU simultaneously. Again, the notion of constitutive power
is used to explain why this may be so. On this account, the close correspondence between German and European political institutions grants it
an indirect influence within the EU that is greater than that which it could
achieve through the use of its tangible resources. Germany’s integration
strategy pursues a loose set of ‘milieu’ goals aimed at shaping the general
character of the integration policy rather than bargaining for specific issues
on a case-by-case basis. Bulmer and Paterson identify prominent areas of
integration policy that indicate how Germany has been able to shape the
preferences of other states involved in the integration process. The best
example is EMU, which ‘exports’ German domestic norms and institutions abroad, whilst leading other states to ‘import’ German monetary
rigour. This externalization of Germany’s internal characteristics through
its foreign policy allows Germany to mobilize institutional bias in favour
of institutions that suit its own interests. Germany’s pursuit of enlargement of the EU also reflects an explicit attempt at shaping the regional
milieu. Enlargement facilitates the further expansion of European institutions which closely match Germany’s domestic institutions. It has also
encouraged a wide range of domestic actors within Germany to interact
heavily with Central-East Europe, thereby encouraging these countries to
structure their domestic political institutions and economy in accordance
with those that exist in Germany. Finally, export of Germany’s ‘milieu
shaping’ approach to foreign policy decision-making feeds back to generate
a virtuous circle in which other actors become predisposed towards continuing participation on the European integration process. Once Central and
East European states enter the EU, therefore, pressures to quicken the
pace of integration are likely to accelerate rather than slow down. Overall,
Germany’s constitutive power is likely to facilitate its general strategy of
broadening and deepening the EU simultaneously (Bulmer and Paterson
1996: 129–135; see also Bulmer, Jeffery and Paterson 2000; Pond and
Schoenbaum 1996; Bulmer 1997).
Overall, there is a case to be made that Germany’s preferences have
encouraged it to remain committed to a more deeply internalized pattern
of institutionalized activity than predicted by either neorealism or institutionalism. Between 1989 and 1999, both the Atlantic security framework
and European institutions took intrinsic rather than instrumental value as
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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normative frameworks for German policy makers. This view is compatible with Anderson and Goodman’s characterization of Germany’s
preferences during the unification period. However, this assessment hinges
heavily on the validity of the thesis that Germany has acquired considerable constitutive power over the structure of European governance. It
therefore remains possible that the costs involved in Germany’s pursuit
of reflexive multilateralism are high enough to place considerable pressure on Germany to abandon its distinctive orientation. The final section
of this chapter therefore addresses the strategic choices faced by Germany
at the close of the first decade of the post-Cold War period.
Liberalism 2: Germany’s choices
In terms of their assessment of the sustainability of Germany’s foreign
policy, there are important limitations in the position taken by both
institutionalist analysts and those who have explained Germany’s post
unification strategies with reference to its ‘constitutive power’. Both neorealists and historians have highlighted compelling arguments that major
changes have taken place in Germany’s strategic orientation over the
1990s. Those who have adopted civilian power arguments have underestimated the significance of important changes in Germany’s security policies
over the 1990s. Germany’s attitudes towards security institutions have
shifted through the upgrading of its support for European defence cooperation, and in terms of its stance towards the use of military force abroad.
Similarly, in the latter half of the 1990s Germany has taken very seriously the potential costs of pursuing a strategy of both broadening and
deepening the EU simultaneously. These changes indicate that there has
been a major shift in the manner in which Germany has pursued its foreign
policy over the 1990s. The benefits brought by institutional memberships
have simply not prevented it from making important choices about its
institutional commitments. Nevertheless, the changes should not be understood as verifying neorealist predictions about Germany’s foreign policy.
This is because it is equally apparent that the changes in Germany’s
strategies over the 1990s have not just preserved but strengthened its
commitment to the multilateral frameworks within which it operates. This
points the way towards the analysis presented by a liberal model of the
international system.
Smith argues explicitly that the development of Germany’s stance on the
issue of the use of force in out of area activities may be viewed as reflecting its reflexive multilateralism. Germany changed its approach only when
it perceived that ‘multilateralism in general and Germany’s support for it
in particular could be at risk’ (Smith 1996: 50). Moreover, to achieve its
aim Germany has over-ridden its traditional pattern of participation in
NATO, and exposed itself to increased financial costs and human risks.
However, by upgrading its institutional commitments, Germany sought to
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German foreign policy after the Cold War
sustain and enhance the Atlantic Alliance. Thus it oversimplifies to interpret these developments in the utilitarian terms suggested by institutionalist analysis. Only a focus on the intrinsic value of NATO captures the
norm-governed character of the evolution of Germany’s attitudes regarding the use of military force. Baumann and Hellmann have refined such an
analysis in the light of trends revealed during the Kosovo crisis. They identify two interpretations of the development of Germany’s attitudes with
regard to out of area activities. One is that Germany remains dominated
by a ‘culture of restraint’, but this account cannot adequately explain significant shifts in Germany’s position. A second view is that German elites
used ‘salami tactics’ to gradually shift public opinion towards ‘normalization’ and acceptance of involvement in military operations. This explanation is compatible with discontinuity, and stresses the agency of German
policy makers. However, it does not capture the way in which shifts in
Germany’s position were motivated by a desire to strengthen multilateral
security cooperation. Baumann and Hellmann suggest that a more adequate
approach is that strategic culture was not a passive constraint on German
policy makers, but instead actively drove the process of foreign policy adaptation. In this way, the distinctive German self-image led to a pattern of
intervention that more instrumental calculations of interests might have
refused (Baumann and Hellmann 2001: 62–66 and 79).
A similar pattern of institutional change may be identified with respect
to Germany’s European integration strategies. Anderson, who originally
characterized Germany’s orientation towards multilateralism as reflexive,
has identified tensions in Germany’s European policies in three areas:
competition policy, the CAP, and structural funds (Anderson 1997;
Anderson 1999). He argues that between 1990 and 1992, the German
government submitted to established procedures despite the huge costs
they imposed on domestic actors. However, since then the German government has paid more attention to issues of distribution and redistribution.
Anderson does note continuity in one area, specifically trade policy. Thus
he concludes that whilst
[u]nification did not precipitate a major domestic revaluation of
Germany’s role in Europe . . . [t]o describe the united Germany’s relationship towards Europe in terms of seamless continuity would be
inaccurate. . . . [Overall] what emerges is a mixed pattern of change
and continuity.
(Anderson 1997: 104–105)
Tewes similarly acknowledges that German statesmen have been addressing the potential tensions in their involvement in both deepening and
widening the EU. This first surfaced in proposals for a ‘variable geometry’ Europe in which the ‘precondition for the enlargement towards the
East was a tightly integrated core’ (Tewes 1998: 127). Janning has put
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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forward the related concept of ‘differentiated integration’. He notes that
such a strategy ‘would lead to the concentration of leadership roles on
those member states which are actively involved in . . . sectoral deepenings. . . . [In turn this would] open up new possibilities for active participation and a higher density of integration’ (Janning 1996: 41). The
ultimate aim of a variable geometry strategy is that by pursuing institutional flexibility Germany should prove able to sustain its strong
commitment to European integration. By adjusting policy instruments,
Germany has therefore attempted to pursue broadening and deepening
integration simultaneously. As Tewes notes, to understand the mix of
continuity and change in Germany’s integration strategies ‘one . . . has to
look first at . . . German identity and at the way it shaped foreign policy
culture’ (Tewes 1998: 130; see also Letourneau and Rakel 1997: 122–125).
A liberal analysis of Germany’s post-Cold War foreign policy suggests
that an emphasis on Germany’s distinctive identity as an actor is not wholly
misplaced. Nevertheless, it must also be developed and refined. Germany’s
commitment to multilateralism has not been a passive policy reflex inherited from the post-1945 period. Instead, Germany played an active and
reflexive role in adjusting the rules and procedures through which it participated in key international institutions in order to preserve and extend
their underlying normative framework. As Harnisch and Maull recognize,
‘identities are not fixed preference orders but thick and sticky cognitive
structures that are often confirmed but sometimes challenged and changed’
(Harnisch and Maull 2001: 148). The latter implies an understanding of
socialization that places a much greater emphasis on the voluntary nature
of change on the part of actors, and the capacity for agency on the part of
states. Instead of emphasizing the ‘constitutive’ aspects of German power,
it stresses what Bertram terms its ‘generative’ nature. On this view:
the real problem for German power . . . [is] not how to constrain it
but how to generate ways to use it, how to get Germans to think of
their contribution as essential for the common good, and how to get
them to accept responsibility for leadership as the major power in
West and central Europe.
(Bertram 1994: 61 and 104–105)
Wallace makes a similar point when he argues that today’s Germany
requires a more sustained and active approach to building partnerships
than has been evident in the past (Wallace 1995: 63). Thus, shifts in
Germany’s approach to multilateralism over the 1990s need not necessarily dilute its participation in international cooperation, or reflect the
essentially unsustainable nature of its reflexive orientation towards multilateralism. Instead, Germany’s active approach to adapting patterns of
international cooperation may be viewed as revealing the great extent to
which Germany has internalized multilateral norms.
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German foreign policy after the Cold War
There have been two generic ways in which Germany has sought a more
prominent role in patterns of multilateral institutions over the 1989–1999
period. The first is that it has shifted from what Anderson refers to as a ‘policy taker’ to a ‘policy maker’ role (Anderson 1997: 105). Second, Germany
has increased the degree of equality reflected in burden-sharing arrangements
between itself and its major partners. In the context of NATO, these procedural adaptations have led to Germany exposing itself to the increased
costs and risks associated with military involvement abroad. Germany has
also attempted to take on burden-sharing responsibilities in the security
arena by pushing for security cooperation within the EU. In terms of its
economic diplomacy, Germany has increasingly argued that its asymmetrical contribution to EU finances must be changed. Nevertheless, whilst the
pattern of costs and benefits for Germany varies across issue areas, the
underlying trend is the same. Germany is increasingly demanding equality
of status with other major actors, approaching institutional bargaining
with the expectation of making contributions proportionate to its size and
capabilities. The concern for Germany’s partners is, of course, that this
reflects the re-emergence of a unilateralist foreign policy. Anderson notes
that the risk ‘is not the return of the Third Reich, but the re-emergence of
yet another UK in Europe – a second awkward partner, sceptical and often
unconstructive on the European stage’ (Anderson 1999: 209; see also Otte
2000 for a similar assessment). However, a greater role for Germany and
Europe in security affairs enables it to contribute more effectively to both
managing international crises and international burden sharing. Similarly, a
more sustainable level of contributions to the EU budget enables Germany
to continue to play a major role in sponsoring the integration process.
Anderson may therefore draw a false analogy by heralding the emergence
of ‘another Britain’ in Europe. It is equally possible that Germany may
actually strengthen its relations with its major partners, and increase the
density of networks of cooperation within which it participates.
The process of identity transition which has led to changes in Germany’s
approach to foreign policy had been driven by the emergence of a strong
cross party consensus within the state elite (Stuth 1992; Voigt 1996;
Baumann and Hellmann 2001). By contrast to the relatively smooth and
transparent evolution of the views of the elite, however, the wider public
debate in Germany about its changing foreign policy orientation has
inevitably raised deeper questions about German national identity. Policies
over the use of military force, or how far to proceed with European
integration, profoundly affect the mass of its populace. During the Cold
War, Germany’s position in the bipolar power structure sheltered it from
having to make decisions on such matters. Correspondingly, Germany
developed a conception of itself as having a ‘post-national’ identity linked
to its distinctive strategic orientation. Adjustments made during Germany’s
transition in the post-Cold War period have therefore forced it to face
issues that had been largely suppressed in the pre-unification era.
German foreign policy after the Cold War
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Germany’s crisis of national identity has been reflected most acutely in
the controversy caused by the huge public debate over Germany’s use of
military force abroad (Meiers 1995: 84; Hellmann 1996: 20; Smith et al.
1996: 11; Dorff 1997: 60–65). However, it is also reflected in the intense
public discussion of Germany’s future role in European integration.
Germany’s conception of itself as an actor within the international system
is therefore in a process of profound change. Yet without reclaiming a
conception of itself as an actor with a legitimate sense of its national identity, Germany will be unable to play the full role in the international
system that its new status demands. Debates between realists who suggest
that Germany is becoming a normal actor and those who see Germany
as still far from normal because of its internalized commitment to multilateralism set up a false dichotomy. As Dorff suggests, ‘the two theses are
not really mutually exclusive . . . . [because] what we understand normalcy
to include . . . may be changing’ (Dorff 1997: 66–67). Germany’s ‘normalization’ is an essential precondition for the continuation of its deep
commitment to multilateralism, not its antithesis. Germany is therefore
undergoing a ‘reinventing’ of its sense of national identity in the light of
its changing foreign policy (Glees 1996: 279).
However, over the 1990s the German political elite showed considerable
skill in managing this process of identity transition. Unlike the political
establishments in either Japan or China, they have taken some significant
steps towards finding workable solutions to the problems being generated
for them in the emerging international system. Over the 1989–1999 period,
Germany has therefore begun a process of purging the historical legacy it
inherited from its role in the conflicts of the first half of the twentieth century. This legacy caused Germany to take on a distinctive policy reflex
favouring cooperation in Euro-Atlantic multilateral institutions. Since the
end of the Cold War, signs of discontinuity in German foreign policy have
emerged. Whilst these shifts are very important, they should not be interpreted as heralding a return to the Germany of old. Instead, they reflect
procedural adjustments that actually upgrade Germany’s contribution to
sustaining established frameworks for cooperation. Making these adjustments provides Germany with a stable platform with which to continue its
active role in the development of international cooperation on a wide range
of issues, and has encouraged it to play a more prominent part in diplomacy over burden sharing issues. In so doing, Germany is playing a crucial
role in the consolidation of both regional and global multilateral structures.
Today, a reunited Germany has been presented with an unprecedented
opportunity to break decisively with its turbulent past. This process has not
been simple or without anxiety, and the ‘Berlin Republic’ needs confidence
in its own judgement if it is to use its increased power to make up for
the errors of its past history. Yet Germany shows signs that it has begun
to establish a new foreign policy suited to the challenges of the post-Cold
War era.
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Japanese foreign policy after
the Cold War
Just as the end of the Cold War led to a re-emergence of the German
Question in Europe, in Asia it reopened the Japanese Question. Unlike
Germany, Japan had not been physically divided into East and West
because of the Soviet Union’s late entry into the Pacific conflict during
the Second World War. Nevertheless, the problem of containing Japanese
power was resolved through similar means. Article 9 of Japan’s constitution was generally interpreted as renouncing its sovereign right to
declare war. For its security, Japan relied instead on guarantees provided
through the Mutual Security Treaty (MST) signed in the early 1950s with
the United States. During the Cold War, Japan’s foreign policy was based
upon the Yoshida Doctrine, a strategy that had both political and economic
components. Politically, it accepted a limited military role, in line with
Japan’s constitutional commitments. In economic terms, it was underpinned by economic nationalism oriented towards Japan’s post-War
rehabilitation. However, the end of the Cold War has thrust the issue of
Japan’s role within the emerging international system to the forefront of
contemporary debates. With the removal of the threat of a direct attack
from the Soviet Union, Japan’s anchor to the alliance with the US has
become open to question in a way that was previously not the case. This
in turn raises the broader possibility that the Yoshida Doctrine has itself
become anachronistic as a basis for Japan’s foreign policy. This chapter
applies neorealist, institutionalist and liberal models of international relations to analysing the strategies adopted by Japan over the 1989–1999
period. On the basis of this discussion, conclusions are drawn about the
nature of Japan’s response to the end of Cold War, and the strategic
choices it faces in the emerging international system.
Neorealism
A number of analysts have used the neorealist model to make predictions
about the behaviour of Japan in the post-Cold War international system (Layne 1993; Waltz 1993; Layne 1996; Mearsheimer 2001). These
commentators anticipated that the end of the Cold War will lead to
Japanese foreign policy after the Cold War
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structural pressures for change in Japan’s relations with other major
powers. In the absence of the Soviet threat, the US is less likely to wish
to maintain a costly and risky defence presence in East Asia as part of
the policy of guaranteeing Japan’s security. In turn, this will generate pressures for Japan to become more independent and assertive in pursuit of
its national security. The removal of the suppressing influence of the Cold
War power structure will lead to the resurfacing of indigenous security
rivalries in East Asia, and fuel growing security rivalries between Japan
and China. Overall, Japan will come to play its role in a more conflictual,
multipolar order within East Asia and in the wider international system.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was widely presumed that
Japan had acquired the capability to become a serious geopolitical challenger to the US (Buzan 1988: 558; Waltz 1993: 55; Layne 1996: 71).
By the late 1990s, the situation had changed significantly as a result of
the impact of the East Asian financial crisis on Japan’s economy. In 1999
Japan’s per capita GDP dropped to seventh place in the world, after
attaining first place in both 1993 and 1994. Moreover, the difference
between Japanese and US GDP increased from 10 per cent in 1990 to 20
per cent in 1999 (Funabashi 2001: 78). Neorealists can view Japan’s
current economic difficulties as further increasing its incentives to pursue
a more independent and assertive foreign policy in order to increase its
relative influence. The turn around in Japan’s economic fortunes should
not, therefore, be viewed as undermining the significance of neorealist
predictions, which rely on Japan’s structural incentives to balance against
America’s dominant position.
There have been indications that Japan’s status as a potential rival to the
US has led to tensions in the US-Japan security alliance. The Gulf War was
the most important event highlighting the ‘politics of burden-sharing’ with
the US (Pharr 1993). Japan’s contribution came in the form of a dispatch
of minesweepers and a $13 billion contribution to allied efforts paid in a
number of instalments. According to Lincoln, this response was made
because ‘Japan would be severely criticised by the United States if the nation
did nothing’. Japan’s ‘cheque book diplomacy’ provoked criticisms of freeloading from the US, and of American ingratitude from the Japanese side
(Inoguchi 1993: 253; Lincoln 1993: 233; Sasae 1994: 30). In the Gulf conflict, it was Japan’s failure to contribute militarily that lay behind disputes
with the US. However, there are also signs of strains in the US-Japan relationship arising from increased Japanese assertiveness. Japan has adopted
an increasingly independent stance towards North Korea in response to
indications that it is moving towards nuclear weapons capability (Hughes
1996b; Jung-Hoon and Moon 2002). This has frustrated the attempts by
the US to orchestrate sanctions against North Korea to help reduce the possibility of nuclear proliferation in the region (Yahuda 1996a: 251). In 1995
the rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by US soldiers stationed at the major US
military base on Okinawa island caused considerable local resentment.
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Japanese foreign policy after the Cold War
Furthermore, by the late 1990s Japan had become concerned that American
engagement with China would begin to supplant Tokyo’s privileged role as
the key American interlocutor in the region. Thus Japan resented the way
in which President Clinton failed to affirm the importance of the US-Japan
alliance in talks with Jiang Zemin in 1998. This has led Japan to consider
seriously what it should do to refashion its own relations with China
(Funabashi 2001: 75–76; see also Wang 2002; Drifte 2003). Developments
such as these can be interpreted from a neorealist perspective as reflecting
emerging tensions in relations between Japan and the US. With the decline
of the Soviet threat, other priorities will emerge in the calculations made
by these countries, and their interests will gradually diverge. In turn, this
will inevitably weaken the alliance between the US and Japan which existed
during the Cold War.
However, the most significant tensions in US-Japan relations over the
1989–1999 period emerged in the late 1990s during the East Asian financial crisis. Japanese diplomacy during the late 1990s revealed fissures in
relations with the US. The responses of the US and Japanese to the crisis
were very different. Tokyo favoured an initiative to create an Asian
Monetary Fund funded largely by Japan, a more generous policy that was
popular among governments in the region. By contrast the US favoured
an IMF programme to avoid problems of moral hazard and encourage
economies in the region to undertake structural reform. As the crisis deepened, the US began to blame Tokyo directly for its failure to reform its
own economy and play a greater role in leading the East Asian economy
out of recession. In turn, these conflicts reflect fundamental differences of
opinion over the causes of the crisis (Johnstone 1999: 125–130). Japan
has responded to this situation by pushing for The Manila Framework
Group to operate under the aegis of APEC. This forum is to provide a
regional framework for consultation for finance ministers. Although the
Group will supplement and not supplant the IMF it has been viewed as
an attempt by Japan to develop regional economic cooperation rather
than relying exclusively on the US and global institutions (Drysdale 2002:
69). The acrimony of the disputes surrounding the crisis reveals a pattern
reminiscent of Japan’s response to the Gulf War. The Japanese used gaitsu
to force through policy changes, whilst the US made intrusive demands
upon Japan. Various analysts have recognized that this dynamic is unsustainable and that it could fundamentally weaken the US-Japan alliance
(Johnstone 1999; Rapkin 2001; Kirschner 2003).
Furthermore, changes in US-Japanese relations will rebound on Japan’s
relations with other regional powers. Buzan and Segal identified the reduction in US forces in East Asia in the early 1990s as being at the root of
a significant arms build-up in the region (Buzan and Segal 1994: 7).
Alternatively, by the late 1990s the problems associated with Japan developing its local relations largely through the prism of the US alliance were
becoming apparent, leading it to pursue a more autonomous regional
Japanese foreign policy after the Cold War
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policy (Inoguchi 2002; Drifte 2003). Sino-Japanese relations are central
to this regional dynamic, and indeed there have been signs of tensions
between these countries. These have been most apparent over Chinese
nuclear testing, China’s moves towards blue-water naval capability, and
growing support in Japan for closer ties with Taiwan (Calder 1996: 144;
Green and Self 1996: 36–37; Garrett and Glaser 1997: 397). Tensions
between Japan and China also interact with the question of policy towards
the two Koreas, particularly in response to indications that North Korea
is moving towards nuclear weapons capability. Moreover, there are indications that Japan’s attempt to normalize relations with North Korea in
order to secure a more independent political influence in the region has
strained relations with South Korea (Ahn 1993: 270–272; Drifte 2003:
161). These trends may all be interpreted by neorealists as arising as a
result of the withdrawal of Cold War overlay. On the other hand, there
are anxieties in China about the continuation of the US-Japan security
arrangement. In the light of the April 1996 US-Japan Joint Declaration
that renewed their commitment to the MST for the post-Cold War period,
the Chinese have become increasingly concerned that the alliance is aimed
at ‘checking’ China. The possible acquisition by Japan of a Theatre Missile
Defence (TMD) system that may allow it to neutralize China’s nuclear
deterrence capability has also caused alarm (Garrett and Glaser 1997: 384
and 392–394). These developments may be viewed by neorealists as
signalling that the end of the Cold War has caused China to reassess the
value of the US-Japan security framework.
Local rivalries within Asia reinforce incentives for Japan to become
involved in the regional arms dynamic. Japan is in dispute with China
over the Senkaku Islands and Russia over the Kurile Islands. Relations
over these issues have both shown signs of deterioration over the 1990s.
Indeed, until Germany brokered a compromise, Japan was reluctant to
participate in the IMF’s assistance package to the Soviet Union in 1991
because of this issue (Berton 1993: 32–42; Saito 1993: 278; Garrett and
Glaser 1997: 397). There are also sources of geopolitical dispute within
the region that have had indirect implications for Japan. Closer Japanese
ties with Taiwan have become a source of tension with China, and Chinese
manoeuvres in the Taiwan Straits in 1995 and 1996 have heightened
concerns in Japan. The prospect of Korean unification is a source of
concern to Japan, particularly given the possibility of nuclear proliferation in this area (Yahuda 1996a: 250; Pyle 1998: 133). The launch of a
North Korean rocket across Japanese territory in August 1998 dramatically highlighted the need for Japan to develop a more robust defence
capability. Nuclear testing by India and Pakistan has also profoundly
shaken Japan’s adherence to a non-nuclear orientation (Funabashi 1998a;
Jain 2002). Disputes between China and ASEAN members over the Spratly
Islands also have implications for Japan through its vulnerability to its
oil supply from the Middle East and precedents set in international law.
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Japanese foreign policy after the Cold War
Some analysts suggest that this lies behind Japan’s attempt to broker SinoAmerican tensions over China’s erection of structures on Mischief Reef
in 1995 (Calder 1996: 144; Er 1996: 998–1001 and 1005). Furthermore,
the complexity of disputes is reinforced by the legacy of Japanese imperialism, notably in China and the Koreas (Buzan and Segal 1994: 4). This
could be understood as lying behind the outstanding issue of Japan’s
failure to formally apologize for the atrocities committed under its imperial rule. The number as well as the historical and geopolitical complexity
of emerging tensions between Japan and other regional players may be
cited by neorealists as evidence of problems resulting from the change in
the distribution of power in the international system.
Since the early 1990s Japan has also displayed an inconsistency towards
the UN that suggests it places its own policy-making autonomy over the
wishes of the international community. Since 1994 Japan has made
demands for a permanent Security Council seat (Itoh 1995: 283). However,
unlike Germany, Japan has not yet reinterpreted its constitution so as to
allow Self Defence Forces (SDF) participation in the multilateral use of
force in an international context. In 1992, Japan did establish a law
allowing SDF participation in non-combat UN Peacekeeping Operations.
Since that time it has participated in a number of such activities, notably
in Cambodia (Itoh 1995). However, George identifies that the proposal
was not ‘a unilateral, . . . unprompted gesture . . .; the Gulf War dictated
its timing, while external pressures largely shaped its content’ (George
1993: 563). Akaha recognizes the contradiction in Japan’s stance to the
UN, noting that ‘[t]here is a near consensus among the Japanese that they
deserve . . . [permanent UNSC] status. . . . However, there is widespread
concern that this would be contingent on Japan’s willingness to participate in . . . combat activities’ (Akaha 1995: 68). Such views fit the neorealist
prediction that Japan will seek the benefits of UNSC membership (the
veto and the prestige) whilst avoiding associated costs. Moreover, it is
not contradictory for neorealists to interpret Japan’s PKO legislation as
a first step on the road to Japan’s remilitarization, as well as a reluctant
response to external pressures. Japan may be pursuing both these strategies, using brinkmanship to maximize its interests whilst minimizing its
commitments.
Economic dimensions of Japan’s strategies also provide indications that
favour neorealist predictions about its foreign policy. There have been
tensions emerging in US-Japan relations since 1989. Gilpin has consistently identified the cause of these tensions as Japan’s status as a political
and economic rival to the US. Whilst the conflicts generated by the USJapan trade imbalance were muted during the 1990s because of the US
economic recovery, underlying conditions have remained ripe for structural conflict (Gilpin 1991; Gilpin 2003). Conflicts that may be interpreted
in this light are: the unilateral Super 301 provision of the 1989 US Trade
Act; the bilateral Structural Impediments Initiatives (SII) talks in 1990;
Japanese foreign policy after the Cold War
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and disputes over the co-development of the FS-X fighter; and increased
tensions over trade in automobiles and semi-conductors (Sasae 1994:
22–23; see also Mastanduno 1991; Bhagwati 1996; Hook et al. 2001:
109–113). Throughout the 1990s there has also been a tendency for the
Japanese to open their markets only in response to ‘gaitsu’ or foreign
pressure. In a study of a key sector, Mulgan notes that ‘the consensus
amongst analysts of Japan’s agricultural trade policy is that foreign pressure (particularly US pressure) has been the single most important factor
accounting for market opening’ (Mulgan 1997: 171; see also Bullock
2000). Japan’s economic relations with the EEC/EU also provide significant evidence in favour of neorealist predictions. Relations between Japan
and Europe in the early 1990s were troubled by disputes over trade, industrial competition being particularly fierce over automobiles (Inoguchi 1991;
Lehmann 1992). Developments in relations between Japan and Europe
have further corroded US-Japanese relations. A tacit alliance between the
Europeans and the Japanese emerged during the US-Japan car parts dispute
(Nuttal 1996: 120). Similarly, Europeans undercut the US in the development of the FS-X, selling advanced technology cheaply to Japan
(Inoguchi 1993: 80). Tensions in economic relations with the US and
Europe may be cited as evidence of emerging structural conflict within
the international system.
Furthermore, Japan’s economic strategies with respect to East Asian
countries have displayed strong mercantilist tendencies. Its policies towards
foreign investment, Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), and multilateral development banks (MDBs) reflect this pattern. In the 1990s,
policies emerged involving close business-government cooperation and the
use of private investment to help Japanese multinationals build vertically
integrated production networks throughout Asia (Pyle 1998: 128). This
strategy has been supported by Japan’s use of ODA and its role in the
Asian Development Bank (ADB). Japan’s aid policy, one of the largest in
the world over the 1990s, has a ‘strongly commercial orientation’ and is
donated largely on a bilateral basis (Lincoln 1993: 111 and 118). Japan
plays a low-key role in both global and regional multilateral development
banks, with the exception of the ADB, within which it plays a leading
role. Such behaviour has also attracted criticisms that Japan is attempting
to establish a regional hegemony in Asia. Accusations became particularly
strong in the wake of Malaysia’s call in 1991 for an East Asian Economic
Grouping (EAEG) to be led by Japan. Unlike other regional economic
institutions, the proposal would have included Japan but excluded the US.
In the event, Japan distanced itself from the proposal (Buzan 1998: 82–83).
Nevertheless, Japanese government officials talked openly in the early
1990s about emerging regionalism under Japan’s leadership. Hall is suspicious that the Japanese have been very much behind Malaysia’s proposal,
and have avoided offence to America by ‘letting others do the talking’.
He sees this as part of Japan’s ‘cultural gap’ ploy to foster an image as
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an Asian leader (Hall 1994: 22). Further evidence for such a ploy is
provided by Japan’s human rights policies in Asia. Arase identifies that a
‘pattern of Japanese effort to shield Asian governments from Western pressure emerges when one examines Japanese responses to . . . flagrant
violence against unarmed civilians demonstrated by East Asian regimes’
(Arase 1993: 945). Overall, although no firm evidence exists for Japan’s
involvement with the EAEG proposal, or a wider ‘cultural gap ploy’ aimed
at regional hegemony, these remain distinct possibilities. Thus Japan’s
economic strategies in East Asia could plausibly be interpreted as favouring
neorealist predictions.
Overall, there are significant trends indicative of a neorealist assessment
of Japan’s strategies between 1989 and 1999. Tensions first began to
emerge in the early 1990s when Japan’s cheque book diplomacy during
the Gulf War came under severe criticism from allied powers, and when
Japan become involved in a regional arms dynamic with China. During
the late 1990s disputes between the US and Japan were brought to a head
by the effects of the East Asian financial crisis and Japan’s strongly mercantilist economic orientation. Important aspects of Japan’s behaviour
during this period therefore revealed tensions in its relationships with
other major powers, and indicate that it has begun to consider pursuing
a more assertive role in international affairs.
Institutionalism
According to institutionalist theory, international institutions can take on
instrumental value for states. Where institutions are useful for states in
pursuing their national interests, they will be utilized. However, where
institutionalization imposes net costs on states, requiring considerable
accommodation and adjustment on their behalf, they will reject institutional options. The conditions under which institutions can become valued
by states are where there are complex patterns of interdependence and/or
a well-developed body of pre-existing international institutions. Japan’s
relations with states in North America and Western Europe may be
regarded as fitting broadly within this pattern. However, Japan’s integration into the world economy varies across the regional and global levels
and reverses Germany’s situation. Japan is more tightly integrated into
the US and the global economy than it is in a regional context (Grieco
1999: 326; see also Gangopadhyay 1998: 14). Moreover, unlike Europe,
East Asia did not inherit from the Cold War period a well-developed body
of international institutions (Buzan and Segal 1994: 15–17). Indeed, institutionalists have themselves recognized that the conditions for their
predictions to hold do not exist between most states in an Asian context.
Joseph Nye, in his capacity as Assistant Secretary of State for Defense in
1995, recommended that the US maintain a strong forward defence presence in East Asia as a basis for developing multilateralism in the region
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(Office for International Security Affairs 1995; see also Nye 1995). Whilst
not fully substituting for a more mature pattern of interdependent relations in Asia, Nye argues that such a strategy can provide some of the
preconditions necessary for international institutions to take on value for
key states, particularly Japan.
Aspects of Japan’s strategies between 1989 and 1999 are amenable to
an institutionalist interpretation. The MST has shown signs of endurance
in the post-Cold War period. US commitment to Japan was made concrete
by the 1995 Department of Defense report. Moreover, Garret and Glaser
identify that despite the anxieties caused by the 1996 Joint Declaration
on the US-Japan security framework, ‘Beijing has not yet reached the
conclusion that the alliance . . . pose[s] a threat to China’ (Garrett and
Glaser 1997: 392; see also Christensen 2001; Christensen 2003). Institutionalists have explicitly linked the continuation of the MST framework
to debates over the status of Japan as a ‘civilian power’ in the post-Cold
War international system (Maull 1991; see also Funabashi 1991, 1992
and 1995; Nye 1992). The 1995 National Defence Program Outline
(NDPO), published shortly after the Nye report, indicates no significant
change in Japan’s long-term defence planning strategy. This does suggest
that strengthening Japan’s theatre missile defence capabilities, as has been
noted, has caused some alarm in China. However, remarkably it suggests
a possible reduction in the level of its SDF personnel from the current
180,000 to 150,000 (Sasae 1994: 17). Notwithstanding neorealist predictions, Japan has actually approached the issue of permanent UNSC status
very cautiously over the post-Cold War period, and eschews any significant departure from established policy (Drifte 2000). Thus institutionalists
can identify significant evidence that, despite some ‘transitional’ tensions
in the post-1989 US-Japan relationship, its underlying centrality to both
countries remains intact. This would support Nye’s claim that by continuing the US security guarantee and maintaining Japan’s civilian power
orientation, there can be a strong US-Japanese relationship even in the
absence of the Soviet threat (Nye, 1992: 113–115).
Institutionalists could also point to Japan’s involvement in regional security institutions in East Asia, notably the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
The ARF was founded in 1994 as a forum for the discussion of security
issues pertaining to the East Asia region (Mak 1998: 116). Its membership is broad, including India, the European Union and the US, Japan
and China. Japan played an instrumental role in the establishment of the
ARF. The ‘preventive diplomacy’ aims of the institution are modest, and
the ARF has been criticized for its vulnerability, particularly to China
(Segal 1998: 325). Nevertheless, institutionalists could identify Japan’s
support for the ARF as indicating that its wider global commitments are
tempering its response to emerging tensions in East Asia. Such arguments
are supported by Japan’s involvement in European regional security institutions through its acquisition of observer status in NATO and the
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CSCE/OSCE in the early 1990s (Inoguchi 1992: 83–84). ‘Civilian power’
arguments could, in principle, be extended to explaining constitutional
debates within Japan over its military role. Japan has shown extreme
reluctance to revise the dominant interpretation of Article 9 of its constitution limiting the SDF involvement in overseas conflicts, and this has
been reflected in its non-military involvement in the Gulf conflict and its
stance with respect to UNPKO.
Institutionalists can supplement their arguments with evidence from
Japan’s economic strategies since 1989. Central here has been Japan’s use
of international economic institutions. At the global level, Japan has
continued its membership in major bodies such as GATT/WTO, the G7
and the OECD (Hook et al. 2001: 331–338). Inoguchi argues that Japan’s
role in international trade, money and technology transfers is essentially
that of a ‘supporter’ (Inoguchi 1993: 58–62). This accords with institutionalist claims that the presence of international institutions can facilitate
international cooperation. Such arguments may be augmented by examining Japan’s recent role in regional economic institutions in East Asia,
notably its involvement in Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC).
Established in 1989, APEC is the dominant regional international institution with an economic focus. As with the ARF, Japan, together with
the US, was instrumental in bringing this institution into being. Like the
ARF, its status as merely a forum for discussion makes it relatively weak,
and it is overshadowed by GATT/WTO. Nevertheless, at APEC’s first
meeting in 1989, ministers issued a declaration stressing their firm commitment to timely completion of GATT’s Uruguay Round (Soesastro 1995:
480). Japan’s formal resistance to the EAEG proposal takes on particular
significance in this regard because it determined the failure of this option.
This could be interpreted as signalling Japan’s commitment to an open
East Asia within the global trading system. In 1996, the Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM) was also established because of the exclusion of the EU
from APEC. Japan’s participation in ASEM since its inception provides a
further broad indication of Japan’s commitment to economic multilateralism (Hook et al. 2001: 250–252). Such developments bolster the
institutionalists’ case that Japan’s integration into the global economy has
encouraged it to adopt a ‘trading state’ function in the international system.
Finally, it is possible for institutionalists to offer an interpretation of
Japan’s aid and investment policies. Inada has argued that political
considerations are not the only factor behind the provision of aid.
Japan’s own desire to maintain good relations with the country in question and to demonstrate its readiness to fulfil its political responsibilities
also comes into play (Inada 1989: 412). With regard to overseas investment, Japan has shown signs of increased involvement with MDBs at
the global and extra regional levels. Its share of voting rights in both
the IMF and the World Bank increased in the early 1990s. In 1989, Japan
announced its decision to join the then newly established European Bank
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for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) (Lincoln 1993: 133–134;
Yasutomo 1993: 330). Finally, at least one analyst has attempted to argue
that the significance of the US-Japan disputes during the East Asian financial crisis was not great, either for the future of financial cooperation in
the area or for the US-Japan security alliance more generally (Holt-Dwyer
2000). From an institutionalist perspective, these developments might
support the view that Japan is responding to growing incentives for it to
cooperate internationally on economic issues.
Overall, there is significant evidence that Japan’s use of international
institutions reflects the way in which its interdependence varies across
regional and global levels. At a global level, Japan makes extensive use
of international security and economic institutions. At a regional level, its
use of institutions is weaker, but still significant. Indeed, in important
respects, the account offered by institutionalism is more convincing than
that offered by the neorealist model. Whilst neorealism can highlight signs
of tensions in Japan’s relationships with other powers, institutionalists
could respond by arguing that its commitment to global international
institutions would appear to remain strong on the basis of its post-Cold
War behaviour.
Liberalism 1: domestic variation
Liberalism predicts that domestic cultural and institutional variation will
be built into the dynamics displayed by the emerging international system.
The process of internalizing liberal norms will be affected by domestic
coalitions within states reflecting embedded social identities, economic
interests and political institutions. For this reason, domestic preferences
play a critical role in explaining international behaviour and outcomes in
the liberal model. Liberalism also anticipates that states that adopt a
competitive security orientation and/or mercantilist economic tendency will
come under pressure to internalize a liberal identity. This prediction will
be assessed in the final section addressing the strategic choices faced by
Japan. First, however, it is necessary to establish that domestic factors
have played a more autonomous role in shaping Japan’s foreign policy
over the post-Cold War period than anticipated by either neorealism or
institutionalism.
There are indications that Japan’s post-Cold War strategies have influenced its foreign policy in a way which poses anomalies for both neorealist
and institutionalist predictions. Heginbotham and Samuels identify that
Japan’s failure to remilitarize is problematic for neorealism. As the NDPO
indicates, ‘there is little evidence that Japanese planners are thinking seriously about a defence strategy independent of US forces’ (Heginbotham and
Samuels 1999: 193). According to neorealists, Japan finds itself in a regional
context in which instability looms large. For Japan to pursue a ‘free-riding’
strategy with regard to potential direct threats to its security requires it to
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run definite risks. To some extent, the conclusions of the Nye report could
help persuade Japanese policy makers that there is still a strong US commitment to East Asia. However, as Buzan recognizes, ‘this raises the possibility that the guarantee . . . would not be honoured if Japan got into
difficulties with a regional neighbour’ (Buzan 1995: 33). Under these circumstances, Japan’s tight interpretation of Article 9 of its constitution is no
longer a convenient diplomatic fig leaf, but becomes a liability. Thus Japan’s
failure to revise its defence planning commitments in 1995 makes it difficult for neorealists to sustain an overall interpretation of Japan’s strategies.
However, according to Heginbotham and Samuels, ‘[p]erhaps the oddest
thing from the perspective of structural realism. . . . has been the Japanese
failure to exhibit a sensitivity to the relative distribution of gains that
have accrued to China from its economic relations with Japan’. China is
Japan’s strongest potential military rival in the East Asia region. Yet:
Japan has competed vigorously for a major investment presence in
China. The Japanese used their influence in the Asian Development
Bank and elsewhere to argue actively for the early lifting of the sanctions imposed on China after the suppression of the Tiananmen
demonstrators in 1989, and Japanese business leaders visited China
within months to reform the commercial relationship. Today, more
Japanese ODA goes to China than to any other country. As a partial
consequence of Japanese . . . investments, the Chinese economy has
grown at a double digit pace for over a decade.
(Heginbotham and Samuels 1999: 195)
This has enabled China to modernize its navy and airforce. Furthermore,
in the face of the signs of increased Chinese assertiveness in East Asia,
Japan’s 1991 announcement that in future Japan’s ODA would be tied
to China’s military behaviour has proved hollow (Heginbotham and
Samuels 1999: 195). Such behaviour runs heavily against the grain of
neorealist predictions about Japan’s behaviour within the post-Cold War
international system.
Japan’s economic diplomacy poses equally significant problems for institutionalist predictions. Institutionalist arguments overlook Japan’s troubled
economic relations with industrialized states, and the significance of gaitsu.
As has been noted, this has been visible in Japan’s trade relations with
the West over the 1990s. It became particularly acute in the East Asian
financial crisis, where external pressure from the US caused considerable
acrimony before Japan yielded to reform. This pattern is hardly characteristic of the cooperative relationship anticipated by institutionalists.
Institutionalist arguments also suffer from the limitation that Japan’s aid
and investment strategies are strongly bilateral and oriented in favour of
Japanese business interests. Indeed, the degree of politicization of Japan’s
investment through the ADB is so strong that Wan has interpreted it as
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evidence that it has taken on intrinsic rather than instrumental value for
Japanese policy makers. He insists that Japan’s behaviour ‘cannot be
explained away simply as a coincidence of what Japan wants and what
the ADB wants. . . . Japan defines what it wants in the light of what the
bank wants’ (Wan 1995: 527). Wan’s argument remains unconvincing
because Japan’s use of the ADB is highly distinctive when compared
with its use of all other regional and global MDBs (Yasutomo 1993).
Nevertheless, his account does identify the limitations of an institutionalist account of its economic strategies in East Asia, highlighting Japan’s
distinctive preferences over investment policies.
Heginbotham and Samuels have developed a characterization of Japan’s
strategic orientation capable of explaining the anomalies faced by neorealism and institutionalism. They argue that Japan’s strategies reflect
‘mercantile realist’ preferences. Mercantile realism shares common elements
with other forms of realism, including the assumption that states are the
most important actors in world politics, that states seek to maximize their
power, and that states are in competition for relative gains (Heginbotham
and Samuels 1999: 198). However, unlike other forms of realism, mercantile realism stresses the primacy of techno-economic strategic goals in the
making of foreign policy decisions. Importantly, a state with mercantile
realist preferences may pursue techno-economic interests at the expense
of politico-military interests. It will define its strength in the international
system in terms of its wealth and technology, and its position in terms
of its industrial structure. As a result, mercantile realists will balance
against wealthy states endowed with strong, technology-intensive industries, and will not see states with different industrial structures as
threatening (Heginbotham and Samuels 1999: 200; see also Kawasaki
2001 for a similar account).
A mercantile realist characterization of Japan’s preferences can explain
the distinctive features of its behaviour since 1989. Japan’s low political
and military profile fits well into a mercantile realist explanation of its
strategies. From a mercantile realist perspective, it reflects the priority
Japan gives to techno-economic rather than politico-military priorities in
the formulation of its national interests. This explains why Japan does
not appear to be particularly concerned about the political risks involved
in pursuing such a strategy. It is not that Japan is ‘free riding’ on US
politico-military capability, but rather that politico-military risks simply
do not receive a high priority in terms of its techno-economic foreign
policy decision making calculus. Furthermore, the concept of mercantile
realism can also explain aspects of Japan’s relations with China which
are anomalous to neorealism. Unlike the US and Japan, China and Japan
have very different industrial structures, and so from a mercantile realist
perspective may develop a complementary relationship.
Mercantile realism also explains why there are also anomalies in using
Japan’s failure to remilitarize in interpreting its strategies in institutionalist
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terms. The concept of mercantile realism shares with institutionalism the
prediction that states will give highest priority to their economic interests.
In this sense they both predict that Japan will adopt a primarily nonmilitary response to the end of the Cold War. However, institutionalism
cannot explain the manner in which Japan has gone about pursuing a nonmilitary strategy. Japanese economic relations with Asian states fit poorly
with the predictions of the institutionalist model because they are highly
politicized. Yet it is precisely such tendencies that fit well with a mercantile realist strategy. The tendency of Japan’s economic relations with its
Asian neighbours to have been good, whilst those with Western powers
continue to be troubled, again fits the pattern of behaviour suggested by
mercantile realism. States with mercantile realist preferences will balance
against rivals with similar industrial structures, whereas institutionalism will predict that states sharing advanced industrial structures will be
encouraged to cooperate.
Thus, unlike both neorealism and institutionalism, a focus on Japan’s
mercantile realist preferences can develop a single consistent account of
the characteristic way in which Japan prioritizes techno-economic over
politico-military goals. From a mercantile realist perspective, these aspects
of Japan’s strategies are not only more amenable to an overall explanation, but are also mutually reinforcing. Indeed, other specialists on Japan’s
foreign policy have also identified these general characteristics of its
strategies over the post-Cold War period (Blaker 1993; Pyle 1998). More
fundamentally, ‘mercantile realism’ displays remarkably strong affinities
with the Yoshida Doctrine. As Katzenstein and Okawara note, the breakup of the Soviet Union has ‘elicited no sharp changes’ in Japan’s security
policies. They conclude that ‘[w]hen international structures change . . .
rapidly . . . Japanese policy makers have defined the objectives and modalities of their political strategies partly in response to the cues that domestic
structures provide’ (Katzenstein and Okawara 1993: 116–117; see also
Macleod 1997; Inoguchi and Jain 2000; Katzenstein and Okawara 2001).
Despite the end of the Cold War, Japan has continued to articulate the
strategic preferences that it developed during the early post-War period.
Overall, a strong case can be made for the predictions of the liberal
model, although this is not to claim that Japan has articulated a broadly
liberal set of strategic preferences. Instead, Japan’s foreign policy behaviour falls outside the ranges predicted by both neorealism and
institutionalism due to the influence of its domestic identity on its international behaviour. A mercantile realist characterization of Japan’s foreign
policy provides the most consistent overall account of patterns of behaviour which are anomalous to both neorealist and institutionalist models,
notably the way it combines a non-military, non-political orientation with
strong elements of economic nationalism. Moreover, it enables otherwise
contradictory elements of Japan’s foreign policy to be understood as mutually reinforcing aspects of a single underlying strategy. This strategy, which
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has its origins in the Yoshida Doctrine, strongly reflects domestic structures that developed during the Cold War, and in this sense Japan’s
post-Cold War foreign policy has been marked by a high degree of continuity. However, such a conclusion merely raises the deeper issue of the
extent to which this strategy is sustainable.
Liberalism 2: Japan’s choices
In 1989, Van Wolferen attempted to refute the argument that fundamental
changes are in store for Japan’s political system. He argued that what the
‘Japan at the crossroads’ thesis failed to take into account was that ‘[t]he
systematic deprivation of choice in practically all realms of life bearing
on the political organisation of Japan is essential for keeping the [Japanese]
System on an even keel’ (Van Wolferen 1990: 409). Notably, he identified absence of choice in the Japanese party system, and in its integrated,
keiretsu-dominated economy. Van Wolferen concluded that despite the
changes forecast by many in the late 1980s, fundamental domestic reform
was not likely for Japan in the foreseeable future.
More recent developments in Japan call into question Van Wolferen’s
assessment of the prospects for continuity in the Japanese ‘System’ in the
face of international change. Two have been particularly important:
changes in Japan’s party system, and changes in the structure of its domestic
economy. Whilst these changes have roots that may be traced to at least
the early 1970s, they only came to fruition in the years since 1989. In
1993, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) found itself unable to form
a government for the first time since it was founded in 1955. Pyle has
identified that ‘[a]lthough issues of electoral reform were the proximate
cause of the vote of no confidence . . . the primary motive force was
change in the international system’ (Pyle 1996: 149). Specifically, it reflects
mounting pressure for a decisive move away from the Yoshida strategy
arising from the end of the Cold War:
The fundamental issue was defining a new national purpose for Japan
in the post Cold War world and making the institutional changes
required for such a transformed role. . . . In the face of . . . criticism
[of Japan’s role in the Gulf War], a new generation of assertive political leadership in the LDP demanded abandonment of the Yoshida
strategy, reinterpretation of the constitution, and the accommodation
of the new realities of the post Cold War international system.
(Pyle 1996: 151–152)
Moreover, a fluid situation in Japanese party politics continued throughout
the 1990s (Jain 1997; Akikiko 2000; Park 2001). Changes in Japan’s
economy have been more recent, but equally dramatic. After years of slow
down, Japan’s economy went into recession in 1998. Japan’s economic
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problems have raised serious questions about its basic system of economic
management (Funabashi 1998a: 28). In combination, these dramatic
changes have challenged the aspects of the Japanese ‘System’ identified by
Van Wolferen in 1990 as so durable.
Such developments have important implications for the viability of
Japan’s mercantile realist strategies. Citing the precedent of fifteenthcentury Venice, Heginbotham and Samuels argue that skilful use of diplomacy may allow Japan to prosper in its pursuit of mercantile realist axioms
(Heginbotham and Samuels 1999: 208). Indeed, Tadokoro identifies a
high degree of domestic support in Japan for a ‘conservative’ position
whose adherents are reluctant to change Japan’s existing stance on foreign
policy and domestic economic policy. However, he also recognizes that
conservatives in Japan face severe problems because their approach would
perpetuate the difficulties that Japan faces (Tadokoro 1994: 1011; see
also Blaker 1993: 31). A classic example of the problems posed by a
conservative response to Japan’s current crisis is the way in which successive LDP governments have responded to the need to reduce Japan’s
rapidly accumulating public debt. Budgetary stimulus has been used as a
means to bring about economic recovery, justified in terms of the need
for injections of demand into the economy. In practice, however, these
enormous expenditures serve the pork-barrel politics of the LDP by keeping in employment thousands of inefficient construction companies and
employees engaged in government-funded public works (Funabashi 2001:
78). More generally, however, Japan’s political elite has proved extraordinarily reluctant to provide the leadership necessary to initiate radical
reforms. This has only resulted in continued stagnation for Japan and
further underscored the urgent need for major changes (Schoppa 2001:
76). In summary therefore, the political and economic changes taking
place within Japan have undermined the basis of the Yoshida strategy,
which presupposed that political passivity and economic nationalism could
be pursued simultaneously. These pillars of Japanese foreign policy have
been undermined, and at least one of them must give.
Institutionalists might interpret the changes taking place in Japan as evidence that Japan is being pushed in the direction of a civilian power strategy. This would require it to undertake significant domestic political and
economic adjustments. It must ‘evolve into a wholly new type of power that
helps furnish international public goods . . . and also exercise leadership’
across a wide variety of non-military issues (Funabashi 1992: 37; see also
Funabashi 1995; Lincoln 1993: 258–266). This might allow Japan to
respond to international pressures for it to play a larger political role in the
world whilst not engaging in remilitarization that would stimulate fears by
its Asian peers. It would also mean a move away from economic nationalism. Institutionalists could argue that Japan’s economic difficulties suggest
that it cannot continue its position as a global economic power while maintaining a keiretsu-organized domestic economy. Institutionalists could also
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identify a significant group of civilian power advocates within Japan (Nye
1992: 108; Inoguchi and Jain 1997: 3–4; see also Tadokoro 1994: 1013).
However, an institutionalist interpretation of the domestic changes
taking place in Japan faces a crucial limitation. Specifically, advocating
a civilian power strategy plays directly into the hands of conservatives
who oppose fundamental change in Japan’s foreign policy. As Pyle notes,
post-War diplomats were careful to stress a commitment to internationalist goals as a pretext for their more genuine concern with the pursuit
of economic nationalism (Pyle 1996: 122). Indeed, presenting a more
respectable image to the outside world is an integral aspect of mercantile
realist diplomacy. Japanese statesmen have deliberately placed a benign
gloss on their policies in public whilst, as has been noted, in practice they
have consistently pursued other objectives. Critical here is the impact of
the US on Japan’s behaviour over the 1990s, since a security guarantee
is central to mercantile realism. As Pyle has identified, adherents to
the Yoshida strategy were elated by the Nye report (Pyle 1996: 172).
Moreover, a civilian power stance also leads Japan to become ‘caught in
the triangular vortex’ of Sino-US-Japanese relations. This term is used by
Drifte to capture the negative and counter-productive results of pursuing
the engagement of China through the vehicle of the security alliance with
the US. Particularly concerning for Japan is China’s gradual distancing
from its previous acceptance of the MST as the lesser of two evils (Drifte
2003: 162–173). Thus an institutionalist interpretation of the direction in
which Japanese foreign policy is evolving is internally contradictory. Any
attempt to develop Japan as a civilian power actively discourages it from
adopting the more internationalist orientation that such a strategy seeks
to achieve.
A third possible interpretation of domestic change in Japan might be
offered by neorealism. Neorealists could interpret the dramatic domestic
changes in Japan as signalling that it is being edged towards abandoning
Cold War constraints. As has been discussed, Japan has shown some signs
of greater political assertiveness in its post-Cold War strategies, causing
alarm in other states. Moreover, Japan’s current economic difficulties have
left it exposed and vulnerable within the international economy. These
may threaten the viability of the US-Japanese security relationship.
Neorealists could suggest that these pressures are likely to lead to increased
incentives for the pursuit of mercantilism and closed regionalism by Japan.
Contrary to mercantile realism, this would mean that Japan’s aid and
investment strategies with respect to China would become tighter. In turn,
these economic developments would reinforce Sino-Japanese rivalries.
Finally, a move towards a strategy in line with neorealist predictions would
play to a definite domestic constituency within Japan – that of ‘traditional
nationalism’ (Tadokoro 1994: 1014). Although this is not a position that
has gained much popularity amongst reformers, neorealists could argue
that support for such a political standpoint is likely to grow in the future.
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Nevertheless, the most influential domestic constituency within Japan
pushing for political reform is neither the traditional nationalists nor the
advocates of a civilian power role for Japan. Instead it is proponents of
Japan as a ‘normal state’ (Tadokoro 1994: 1012). The emergence of this
group of reformists has been widely interpreted as a direct response to the
‘mounting external pressures and internal demands that Japan contributes
more fully to the multilateral solution of regional and global problems’
(Inoguchi and Jain 1997: 10, emphasis added; see also Fukushima 1996:
55). It is important to consider the possibility that the emergence of the
‘normal nation’ school represents a response to pressures arising from the
international system. This implies a third interpretation of the international
sources of domestic changes in Japan since 1989 to counter those put forward by both institutionalists and neorealists. Indeed, a consensus has
emerged in a large body of prescriptive literature of Japan’s post-Cold War
foreign policy that indicates that the debate between neorealists and advocates of a civilian power role for Japan set up a false dichotomy. The
critical issue identified in this literature is the implication of shifting Japan’s
attitudes with respect to the use of military force. Many commentators have
concluded that by altering its stance on this vital issue, Japan could
strengthen its alliance with the US, provide a more coherent framework for
the engagement of China, and encourage Japan to take a more responsible
stance on issues of economic diplomacy and internal reform.
In an extensive recent study of the US-Japan security relationship,
Mochizuki outlines his ‘liberal vision’ for its future. He advocates removal
of US combat forces from Okinawa by 2003 (leaving air-force, naval and
logistical units), reinterpretation of the Japanese constitution to allow it
to participate in collective self-defence, and cooperative US-Japanese
research into TMD. This would imply major shifts from the current US
strategy through a significant reduction in its forward defence posture in
East Asia. Mochizuki identifies that through this reduction the overall
threat to China’s security posed by the MST would be decreased without
weakening its overall deterrent capabilities. Such measures would also
strengthen the US-Japan security relationship, making it a ‘more reciprocal partnership’, and encouraging Japan to become an ‘active ally’ rather
than a ‘passive partner’ (Mochizuki 1998: 7 and 8). Pyle similarly concludes
that a comprehensive revision of the US-Japan Security Treaty based on
‘a more equal and reciprocal alliance’ presents Japan with a stronger alternative to either a global civilian power approach or a balance of power
strategy (Pyle 1996: 174–177). Buzan proposes the need for Japan to
adopt a ‘non-offensive defence’ strategy containing the following four
ingredients: a robust capacity for self-defence; a high sensitivity to the
concerns of neighbours; a capability to play a significant role in international aid and peacekeeping; and a capability for recessed deterrence
(Buzan 1995: 40–41). Advocating such a strategy challenges the assumption of automatic mistrust of a Japan that moves away from a civilian
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power orientation, and points to the benefits for Japan and its key allies
in shifting Japan’s attitudes with respect to the use of military force abroad.
Overall, it is possible that a more equal US-Japanese relationship might
also help Japan develop more stable relations with China than it would
otherwise be able to. As Johnson and Keehn propose, a United States that
continues to distrust Japan’s ability to act as a true ally could and even
should be considered a greater threat to security in East Asia than a rising
China (Johnson and Keehn 1995: 110; see also Johnstone 2000; Drifte
2003).
The same principles may also be extended to the political economy of
Japan’s relationships with other major powers in the international system.
Sato has noted that greater equality in the US-Japan relationship might
also facilitate a more consistent set of principles for China’s engagement.
It would enable the West to convey a more consistent diplomatic message
to China, and reduce China’s scope to play off the US and Japan against
one another to achieve its own objectives (Sato 1998). The beneficial
nature of Japan negotiating its relationship with other major powers on
the basis of equality is also illustrated in cases where it has itself suffered
as a result of failing to pursue this course. Perhaps the best example is
provided by Japan’s dispute with the Soviet Union over the Kurile Islands
in 1991. On the surface, Japanese intransigence might conceivably be
construed as confirming neorealist predictions of emerging multipolarity.
However, a recurrent theme in the literature is that Japan’s response was
shaped more by its dependent relations with the US than by structural
conflict with the Soviet Union. On this account, Japan’s response reflects
the increasingly outdated focus of the US-Japan security alliance on the
containment of Russia (Carlile 1994: 415; Menon 1996: 74; Hasegawa
2000; Rozman 2002). This pattern highlights the way in which Japan’s
response was not structurally determined, but rather reflects its preference
for a low political profile. Thus Japan might strengthen its relations with
Russia by developing them on a more independent footing, facilitating
more flexible negotiations on the Kuriles issue.
Johnstone develops an interpretation of Japan’s diplomacy during the
East Asian financial crisis that highlights its reluctance to engage in internal
economic reforms. He sees the tensions that emerged between the US and
Japan in this period as symptomatic of the general corrosion of the USJapan relationship in the absence of a clear Soviet threat. Johnstone
recognizes that to some extent emerging structural conflict has been mitigated by the Nye defence initiative, and that continued close cooperation
between the US and Japan on security issues has reduced tensions in the
US-Japan relationship. However, this only serves to underscore the limited
and narrow scope of cooperation between these two states (Johnstone
1999: 133–135). Indeed, it is plausible that the asymmetrical character of
the current US-Japan security relationship actively contributes to the
emerging economic tensions between these countries. In the context of
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general patterns of behaviour in Japan’s foreign policy, the government’s
reliance on gaitsu to push through reform during the crisis would seem
symptomatic of its mercantile realist strategy. In turn, this strategy presupposes reliance on the US security umbrella. Paradoxically, therefore, US
security policy makes it very hard for it to encourage Japan’s cooperation over economic issues. Whilst the US was critical of Japan’s response
to the East Asian crisis, America fails to acknowledge that its own policies in the security arena are encouraging Japan to pursue this pattern of
behaviour. By enabling Japan to take a more independent stance on foreign
affairs, the US could encourage a more responsible and robust Japanese
leadership on issues of economic management. By the same token, however,
the US would need to reduce its tendency to dictate policy to Japan, and
allow it a greater say in managing the world economy.
Overall, it is possible to question the prevalent assumption that growing
political independence in Japan’s foreign policy would reflect a neorealist
analysis of its post-Cold War strategies. Indeed, the most likely scenario
is for Japan to increase its capacity for defence within a restructured USJapan security framework. Fears that this would spark destabilizing
security anxieties amongst Japan’s partners do not necessarily follow if
Japan’s defence posture is predominantly non-offensive, and this is
combined with a limited withdrawal of the US forward presence in East
Asia. Similarly, this strategy could enhance Japan’s sense of responsibility
and willingness to cooperate more generally in the international arena.
Thus ‘normal nation’ school of reformers have a strong case that Japan
should make a more active contribution to the international community
in both economic and political terms. This conclusion implies that Japan
finds itself in an emerging international context that is encouraging it to
shift away from its mercantile realist orientation. Japan must today play
a more active role in negotiating and sustaining a more equal structure
of great power relations. Such an analysis is in line with the predictions
of liberal theory about the general pattern of institutionalized activity
emerging in the post-Cold War international system.
In turn this raises important questions about what Buzan refers to as
‘Japan’s relationship with itself’ (Buzan 1995: 38). Pressures arising from
the international system are presenting major challenges to the mercantile realist stance that Japan has adopted over the 1990s. These have
already had a dramatic bearing on developments in Japan’s party system
and its system of economic management. However, perhaps the clearest
expression of the crisis of transition being experienced by Japan has been
the severe difficulties it has experienced in coming to terms with the atrocities it committed during its imperial past. This has raised acute problems
for Japan in terms of the way in which its government has handled issues
such as dealing with its defence capabilities or apologizing to the victims
of its wartime aggression. Berger traces Japan’s extreme reluctance to
remilitarize since 1989 to its domestic politics, in particular its ‘anti-
Japanese foreign policy after the Cold War
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military culture’ (Berger 1993: 131). Japan’s refusal to face its recent
history even affects mundane aspects of daily life in Japan such as
the content of school textbooks on Japanese history (Ienaga 1993).
Furthermore, deeply ingrained attitudes persist, even when this means that
Japan itself pays the highest price of all for failing to address the issues
they raise. Mukae characterizes Japan’s failure to apologise for its wartime
atrocities as a symbolic manifestation of the ongoing identity crisis in the
Japanese political system today. This crisis persists, he identifies, even
when this means that it is Japan itself that pays the highest price of all
for failing to address the issues raised. For example, rather than manifesting its current difficulties, Japan’s failure to apologize for its wartime
atrocities in the Diet Resolution on the fiftieth anniversary of the Pacific
War ‘might instead have been a rare opportunity to turn . . . that very
crisis [around]. . . . In that sense, the Japanese government failed not only
other nations but also its own’ (Mukae 1996: 1030).
At the source of this crisis of identity transition is a search for a legitimate Japanese nationalism and a new, non-exclusively economic role in
the world. Japan is ‘divided and confused about what its national selfimage should be and how it should project its identity into the international
system’ (Buzan 1988: 561). Similarly, Pyle suggests that the domestic
adjustments taken within Japanese politics represent a search for a new
sense of national purpose appropriate for Japan in the post-Cold War
period. He notes that:
assertions of Japan’s inability to play a broader role in the international community are now losing much of their persuasive power
as a result of changes in the international system. Japan’s emergence
as an economic power and the end of the Cold War have . . . raised
questions about Japan’s future national purpose, its policies towards
collective security arrangements, and its capacity to change from a
country intent solely on its own mercantilist aims to one capable of
international leadership.
(Pyle 1996: 121)
Pyle’s diagnosis for Japan requires it to begin the process of building a
new sense of national identity better suited to the post-Cold War world
to that which developed in the post-1945 period. To achieve this, Pyle
proposes, Japan must become more self-reliant, breaking fundamentally
with the deference that characterized the Yoshida strategy. The Japanese
political system, which less than ten years ago Van Wolferen identified as
characterized by ‘the systematic deprivation of choice’ in almost all arenas,
is now faced with the task of making decisions that will enormously affect
the future well being of its citizens. This involves Japan confronting a
diversity of possibilities that it has not previously faced, and presents it
with both dangers and opportunities. Japan must break with established
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patterns of behaviour, or run the risk that its relationships will become
brittle and at some point might break down. On the other hand, by
actively confronting the situation in which it finds itself, Japan has the
opportunity to conduct its diplomacy with others on the basis of independence and equality rather than dependency. More fundamentally, this
has implications for Japan’s ability to trust itself. In the words of one
major reformist politician, ‘Japan’s most pressing need is a change in the
consciousness of our people. Let us begin by removing the fences and
educating the people to their own responsibility for themselves’ (Ozawa
cited Stockwin 1997: 75). Until Japan has learned to develop its strategies
on a more autonomous basis, it will not be able to achieve a true sense
of security within the emerging international system.
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Chinese foreign policy after
the Cold War
The consequences of ‘the rise of China’ as a major power has been one
of the most prominently discussed issues of post-Cold War international
politics. The origins of this debate, however, may actually be traced back
to trends that began in earnest considerably earlier. During the mid- to
late 1970s there emerged a change in China’s attitude towards interdependence with the West following the death of Mao Tse Tung and his
replacement by Deng Xioping. Under the new regime, China began to
foster economic ties with the wider world in order to underpin economic
growth and modernization. These events coincided with the gradual stagnation of the Soviet Union, further enhancing the shift to multipolarity
and China’s growing relative status within the international system.
Between 1989 and 1991, China witnessed the culmination of these two
long-term trends. First, the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989
led to the realization by the Chinese elite that economic interdependence
and modernization that China had pursued under the post-Mao regime
had significant political implications. Second, the collapse of Soviet communism led to the dismantling of the USSR’s Pacific fleet. This left China as
an emerging power capable of filling the vacuum left by the decline of
Russian influence in East Asia. The period that saw the end of the Cold
War therefore raised important questions about China’s future role in the
international system in the wake of these major changes. This chapter
applies neorealist, institutionalist and liberal models of international relations to analysing the strategies adopted by China over the 1989–1999
period. On the basis of this discussion, it draws conclusions about the
nature of China’s response to the end of the Cold War, and the strategic
choices its faces in the emerging international system.
Neorealism
Waltz, Layne and Mearsheimer have used the neorealist model to make
predictions about the behaviour of China in the post-Cold War international system, identifying it as a ‘rising power’ within the international
power structure (Waltz 1993; Layne 1996; Mearsheimer 2001). Indeed,
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Dibb identifies the general consensus that China can sustain growth rates
implying a doubling of its GDP every eight to eleven years, a development which would ‘herald the emergence of a new international power
(Dibb 1995: 27). Other major analysts echo this view (Roy 1994: 149;
Layne 1996: 69; Bernstein and Munro 1997: 18; Nye 1997: 70; Pumphrey
2002). Neorealists predict that China’s position within the emerging structure of international politics will encourage it to define its interests
according to its rising relative capabilities. Outcomes compatible with this
behaviour are a move to conflictual multipolarity within East Asia and
in the wider international system.
Indeed, neorealists could identify that over the 1990s China’s rising
economic status has been accompanied by the modernization of its
military. Estimates of increases in China’s defence expenditures over the
1990s vary widely. Some have suggested that trends in China’s defence
expenditure should not be over-estimated (Nathan and Ross 1997:
146–148; Karmel 2000). Yet others have cautioned against too sanguine
an interpretation of China’s military modernization. Nye warns ‘even
after stripping away the hyperbole . . . the rise of the Chinese military
. . . power must be taken seriously as a new factor in the [East Asia]
region’ (Nye 1997: 70). There is evidence that China is moving from a
strategy of ‘minimum’ to ‘limited’ nuclear deterrence. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been dramatically downsized and qualitatively
upgraded (Godwin 1996: 482; Godwin 1998: 179). The navy and air
force are increasing their power projection capabilities. As well as establishing military bases in the South China Sea, fleets of major surface
combatants and submarines are undergoing generational change. This has
been supplemented by purchases of advanced fighter aircraft, dieselelectric submarines and destroyers from Russia, and reports of future
deals over aerial refuelling and Airborne Warning and Control System
aircraft (Ji 1997: 79 and 80; Godwin 1998: 181). Bernstein and Munro
argue that ‘China is now engaged in one of the most extensive and
rapid military build-ups in the world’ (Bernstein and Munro 1997: 25–26).
Whilst such claims might be exaggerated, there is certainly evidence that
China’s rapid economic rise has encouraged it to pursue an increasingly
significant military strategy.
Buzan and Segal note that ‘China feels it is fully within its rights to
change the territorial status quo [within East Asia]’ (Buzan and Segal
1994: 6; see also Dibb 1995: 26). Tow relates this to the way ‘Chinese
analysts have concluded that the original bipolar pattern [of global security politics] is being replaced by a multipolar one’ in which it plays a
more influential role (Tow 1994: 146; see also Jisi 1997: 14). Whilst
dating from the Sino-Soviet split in the 1970s, neorealists could argue
that this pattern has persisted and become exaggerated in the 1990s. In
particular, concern over the need to balance against US unipolarity in the
wake of the Gulf War was a strong factor influencing China’s defence
Chinese foreign policy after the Cold War
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modernization programme (Robinson 1994: 597). China’s rising power is
generating regional anxieties, especially combined with the lack of transparency in Beijing’s strategic planning (Hughes 1996b: 241; To 1997:
252; Godwin 1998: 186; Roy 1998a: 149).
Neorealists might also draw attention to emerging tensions between
China and other states. Difficulties in China’s relations with the United
States first became apparent in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre
in June 1989. The US led economic sanctions against China, which were
lifted only gradually over three years. This was a clear signal that ‘[t]he
end of the Cold War . . . ended the special exception from human rights
criticism that China had enjoyed as a prospective US ally against the
Soviet Union’ (Roy 1998a: 150). China’s abstention with regard to UN
Security Council Resolution 678 sanctioning the use of force against Iraq
during the Gulf conflict must be understood in the context of its postTiananmen isolation. During the conflict China managed to extract
maximum payoffs from the US with minimum support (Kim 1994: 423).
This is compatible with a neorealist analysis of its behaviour. Moreover,
America has continued to maintain an explicit or implicit linkage between
human rights and China’s trade status. China has viewed this as interference in China’s internal affairs (Wan 1997: 240–242; Seymour 1998:
221). In line with neorealist logic, therefore, the collapse of bipolarity has
increased tensions between the US and China over human rights.
Important security issues have also affected Sino-US relations. In August
1992, China re-established full diplomatic relations with North Korea,
viewing it as a significant buffer between itself and South Korea and
implicitly the US (Kim 2001: 371). Bernstein and Munro note that the
prospect of Korean unification could be an important factor in changing
China’s attitude to the US military presence in Northeast Asia (Bernstein
and Munro 1997: 30). Such a shift would be in line with the neorealist
prediction that China will be increasingly brought into conflict with the
regional status quo. However, the future of Taiwan is considered by Beijing
to be the major issue between the US and China. The PRC’s 1993 ‘White
Paper’ on China’s reunification publicly reiterated its claim to sovereignty
over Taiwan (Gu 1996: 199). Moreover, in March 1996, just prior to
Taiwan’s first presidential elections, the PRC carried out large-scale offensive military exercizes, including test-firing live missiles in Taiwan’s coastal
waters. This resulted in the US dispatching two aircraft carrier battle
groups to the area. Friedman even draws parallels between China’s behaviour during the Taiwan missile crisis and Germany’s behaviour in the
inter-war period (Friedman 1997: 233). Thus there are signs that China’s
growing power is encouraging it to challenge the regional status quo as
suggested by neorealist logic.
There have been parallel developments in relations between China and
Japan. In the wake of the 1996 ‘revitalization’ of the Mutual Security
Treaty, the Chinese have become increasingly concerned that the alliance
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is aimed at containing China. A particular point of tension for China is the
possibility that the US could encourage Japan to deploy a theatre missile
defence system that may undermine China’s deterrence capability (Garret
and Glaser 1997: 384 and 392). More general indications that Japan is
becoming more assertive have caused concern in China. Significant have
been: the freezing of Japan’s aid grant to China in response to its nuclear
testing in 1995; Japan’s toleration of extremist activities on the Diaoyo/
Senkaku islands in 1996; growth of backing in Japan for closer ties with
Taiwan; increases in Japan’s defence expenditure; and Japan’s participation
in UNPKO. China’s worries about Japan are similarly reflected in Japanese
anxieties over China’s reiteration of its ownership of the Senkaku Islands,
and the expansion in China’s power projection capabilities. Prior to its
response to China’s nuclear testing, Japan had also expressed concern
over China’s possible acquisition of in-flight refuelling technology and it
publicly warned it against purchasing an aircraft carrier (Segal 1993: 30;
Roy 1994: 163). Trends such as these may be identified as supporting
neorealist predictions about emerging structural conflict between Japan
and China.
China’s role in wider geopolitical dynamics within Asia reinforces a neorealist interpretation of its post-Cold War strategies. China has displayed a
zero-sum view of its sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao in negotiations with Britain and Portugal. Moreover, it has been insistent that negotiations over these territories are conducted bilaterally (Hinton 1994: 353;
Neves 1995; Yahuda 1996b: 14). China’s policies over the disputed Paracel
and Spratly Islands in the South China Sea also provide evidence of China’s
growing assertiveness. In 1992 China passed a Law on Territorial Waters
and their Contiguous Areas that formalized its claim to sovereignty over
these territories, as well as the Senkaku Islands disputed with Japan.
Furthermore, it granted an oil concession in the Paracels, pledging to protect rights to the concession with force. In 1995, shortly after the withdrawal of US military forces from the Philippines, Chinese structures were
discovered on Mischief Reef. These developments have heightened concerns
about China’s intentions in the area (Leifer 1997: 160; Godwin 1998: 176).
China has refused to discuss solutions to competing territorial claims within
the region, fudging its 1995 agreement that the UN Conference on the Law
of the Sea would form the basis for the resolution of conflicts. The possibility that large deposits of oil and gas lie beneath the South China Sea
increases the incentive for China to stake a territorial claim to this area
because of China’s growing dependence on oil imports (Salameh 1995:
133; Valencia 1995: 13–16; Foot 1998: 433). Furthermore, this series of
territorial rivalries is exacerbated by the historical animosities that have
developed between China and other states in the region (Buzan and Segal
1994: 4). The number and complexity of the disputes in which China finds
itself embroiled in East Asia may be cited by neorealists as symptomatic of
deeper structural tensions resulting from China’s rising power.
Chinese foreign policy after the Cold War
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Developments in China’s relations with Russia, India and Pakistan, and
states in Africa over the 1990s are also amenable to neorealist explanation. With the decline of the Russian threat, Sino-Russian relations have
improved dramatically in a number of areas (Goo 1993: 293; Garver
1998: 119–129). Sino-Russian détente could be seen in terms of the effects
of an emerging multipolar structure ‘in which a “continental” RussianChinese bloc balances a “maritime” American-Japanese bloc’ (Garver
1998: 131; see also Bilveer 1998). China’s relations with states in South
Asia reinforce neorealist claims. Sino-Indian relations thawed in the early
1990s, culminating in an agreement over their disputed Himalayan border
in 1993. However, this improvement occurred in the wake of Beijing’s
diplomatic isolation after the Tiananmen Square massacre. Underlying
geopolitical tensions remain between the two powers in South Asia. The
collapse of the Soviet Union, India’s traditional ally against China and
Pakistan, provides incentives for India to acquire a nuclear deterrent (Malik
1995: 346). Tibet has continued to complicate the Sino-Indian relationship (Roy 1998b: 171). Finally, China’s relations with traditional clients
in Africa have changed in line with shifts in international structure. In
the aftermath of Tiananmen, China engaged in a major diplomatic offensive in Africa. However, with China’s continued economic modernization,
these contacts have become obsolete (Snow 1994: 320). The overall pattern
of China’s relations with Russia, India and Pakistan, and African states
may therefore be understood in terms of neorealist predictions. China
deals favourably with these states when marginalized, but as its marginalization wanes its policies reflect interests derived from its changing
capabilities.
In line with neorealist analysis, China’s behaviour with respect to UN
peacekeeping strongly reflects a concern with sovereignty. In October 1991
China participated in a UNSC authorized deployment of a force to oversee
elections in Cambodia, and brought pressure on the Khmer Rouge not to
disrupt the peace-process. However, these actions coincided with the
cessation of Soviet aid to Vietnam leading to Vietnamese withdrawal
from Cambodia (Tow 1994: 151; Yahuda 1996a: 214). Moreover, China
rejected the suggestion of bringing the perpetrators of Cambodian genocide to an international tribunal to avoid creating awkward legal precedents
(Seymour 1998: 229). Over the first half of the 1990s, China has upheld
the principle of sovereignty with regard to intervention and consistently
opposed non-traditional aspects of peacekeeping. China’s stance reflects
the way in which the Chinese leadership fears that multilateralism ‘may
limit China’s diplomatic leverage or even directly challenge China’s claims
over Taiwan and the South China Sea’ (Fravel 1996: 118). This stance
culminated in China’s objections to the NATO intervention in Kosovo in
1999, which turned into heavy criticism after a US warplane bombed the
Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese citizens (Miles 2000).
China’s complaints about the marginalization of the UN during the crisis
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reflected their own concerns over diminished influence in determining the
terms on which intervention took place. This diplomatic marginalization,
combined with local interests arising from the geographic proximity
of the conflict, contributed to the emergence of a softer approach to
negotiations over Security Council authorization of an Australian led international force in East Timor, during which China offered no public critique
of UN actions. However, China’s behaviour was primarily motivated by
concerns about its influence, rather than by a fundamental shift in its
attitudes towards sovereignty (Gill and Reilly 2000: 50). Thus China’s
behaviour with respect to international intervention over the 1990s was
compatible with neorealist predictions.
China’s stance with regard to the non-proliferation regime may be interpreted as reflecting behaviour compatible with neorealism. China acceded
to the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1992, to the NPT extension in 1995,
to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 1994. In 1995
China also cooperated with the US in exerting pressure on North Korea
over the issue of nuclear proliferation. However, these developments may
be explained in a manner consistent with neorealist theory. As a nuclear
power within the regime, the NPT and the 1995 NPT extension in no
way constrained China’s ability to develop its nuclear weapons (Godement
1997: 103). China’s actions to control North Korean proliferation are
entirely compatible with neorealist predictions because of its interest in
taking such measures. Moreover, China did not endorse economic sanctions imposed by the UNSC, but insisted on bilateral action. It thereby
made its efforts contingent upon American concessions on human rights
and upon unconditional extension of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN)
trading arrangement (Gu 1996: 312). China’s decision to join the MTCR
may seem surprising because this was targeted at China after allegations
that it provided missile technology to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran and
Syria. However, China only joined when the US agreed to rescind
sanctions in the high-technology area, and has stressed its pledge is by
no means irreversible (Godement 1997: 102). Moreover, allegations have
continued to be made that China is violating the rules of the regime
(Mullins 1995: 138). Thus in line with neorealist predictions, the MCTR
is either so weak that it imposes no real constraints on China’s missile
transfers, or the regime is likely to be ineffective.
Finally, aspects of China’s economic strategies provide evidence that
supports neorealist arguments. China’s trade surplus with the US has been
significant, and China has come under increasing pressure from the US
to cut trade barriers and increase the transparency of its legal system
(Levine 1998: 104–105). Over the 1990s, China’s attempts to gain admission to GATT/WTO were blocked by the US on the grounds that China
needed to liberalize its economy more extensively, a problem complicated
by China’s desire to join this organization with developing country status.
It has been argued that the US has covertly discriminated against China.
Chinese foreign policy after the Cold War
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Finally, Harris identifies that over the 1990s the US was the one major
trading country not unconditionally applying MFN treatment to China
because its ability to do so was limited by the Jackson-Vanik amendment
(Harris 1997: 147; Feeny 1998: 257–259). Between 1992 and 1994,
the Clinton administration linked MFN to China’s progress on human
rights (Levine 1998: 106). China views this as unfair trade competition.
Furthermore, China uses mercantilist strategies to encourage trade and
investment competition both between Europe, Japan and the US, and
amongst European states (Cable and Ferdinand 1994: 255; Moller
1996; Maull 1997; Klein 1998). Such behaviour could be understood in
terms compatible with the emerging structural conflict anticipated by the
neorealist model.
Overall, there is a significant body of evidence favouring a neorealist
interpretation of China’s strategies between 1989 and 1999. In line with
its rising economic power, China has modernized its military capabilities,
and pursued an increasingly revisionist agenda over the post-Cold War
period. This has brought China into conflict with both Japan and the US,
particularly over unresolved territorial disputes in East Asia. China’s
relations with other states in the international system have changed in
line with its relative capabilities, and its attitudes towards intervention
and the non-proliferation regime, and joining the WTO all show indications of patterns of behaviour that may be associated with neorealist
predictions.
Institutionalism
According to institutionalist theory, international institutions can take on
instrumental value for states. Under certain conditions states will be
encouraged to institutionalize aspects of their inter-relations when this
facilitates the pursuit of national interests. However, where institutionalization imposes net costs on states, requiring considerable accommodation
and adjustment on their behalf, they will reject institutional options. The
conditions under which institutions can become valued by states are where
there are complex patterns of interdependence and/or a well-developed
body of pre-existing international institutions. In terms of absolute levels
of interdependence, China’s economy has indeed developed important ties.
Over the last twenty years, China’s economic interdependence with the
world has risen dramatically in terms of trade and foreign investment.
However, in terms of its distribution, China’s economic interdependence
with the outside world is highly uneven across both geographic regions
within China and industrial sectors (Funabashi 1994: 35–36; Segal 1994:
34–52; Robinson 1998: 204–210). Moreover, unlike Europe, East Asia
did not inherit from the Cold War period a well-developed body of international regimes across a variety of issue areas (Buzan and Segal 1994:
15–17). Indeed, institutionalists have themselves recognized that complex
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patterns of economic and institutional interdependence may not be said
to exist between many states in an Asian context. Joseph Nye, in his
capacity as Assistant Secretary of State for Defense in 1995, recommended
that the US maintain a strong forward defence presence in East Asia
as a basis for developing multilateralism in the region. Whilst not fully
substituting for a more mature pattern of interdependent relations in East
Asia, Nye suggests that such a strategy can provide some of the preconditions necessary for international institutions to take on value for
states such as China (Office for International Security Affairs 1995; see
also Nye 1995).
Aspects of China’s strategies are amenable to an institutionalist interpretation. Institutionalists could identify evidence that China has moderated its international behaviour significantly, even in core areas of its
security strategies. There are signs that China has tolerated the US-Japan
MST because it checks an expansion in Japan’s military role. In Nye’s
words, ‘[i]n the absence of other institutions, Washington’s presence in East
Asia provides stability. As long as the US exercises its power reasonably so
that other countries (including China) continue to benefit from its stabilising influence . . . no country or coalition is likely to challenge it’ (Nye 1997:
77; see also Christensen 2001; Christensen 2003). Thus institutionalists
could argue that the MST has moderated China’s behaviour and significantly reshaped its security expectations. Institutionalists could also argue
that the MST means that the use of force by China to settle regional disputes entails major hazards. Gallagher applies this logic to the Spratly’s
dispute. Segal concludes from China’s failure to resort to its threats of unilateral action over Hong Kong that Chinese behaviour was to some extent
constrained (Gallagher 1994; Segal 1996: 21). Similar arguments can
be made with respect to Taiwan. The PRC’s future economic vitality is
linked closely to its extensive and rapidly growing trade and investment links with Taiwan. Invading or blockading Taiwan would also be
extremely risky militarily given the continuation of the US military presence (Nye 1997: 75–77; Roy 1998b: 205–206; see also Shinn 1996: 75).
Institutionalists might therefore downplay the significance of rising Chinese
assertiveness in East Asia.
China’s involvement in regional multilateral security arrangements may
be used to bolster institutionalist claims. Notable here is China’s participation as a founding member in the ARF since 1993 (Yahuda 1996a: 215).
China uses the ARF as a purely consultative institution (Garrett and Glaser
1994: 21). Nevertheless, Foot identifies a number of specific achievements
it has made. First, it has encouraged Chinese officials to make public statements that have reiterated their government’s commitment to peaceful settlement of disputes within the region, except over Taiwan. Second,
discussion within the ARF has led to China’s acceptance that some level of
transparency does contribute to security. Finally, working within the ARF
does impose constraints on China’s international actions because the image
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costs associated with any transgression of embryonic norms or obstructionist behaviour are gradually increasing. Thus there are indications that
the ARF has moderated China’s strategic expectations, albeit in a limited
fashion.
Institutionalists could also construct counter arguments to neorealist
claims about China’s use of the non-proliferation regime. The NPT can
reduce the likelihood that China’s neighbours will acquire nuclear weapons,
thereby mitigating China’s need for deterrence (Garrett and Glaser 1995:
76). With regard to the MTCR, Rynhold suggests that ‘[t]he Chinese appear
to perceive the proliferation issue as a bargaining chip . . . to smooth over
the relationship [with the US], or to extract concessions on more vital matters such as Taiwan’ (Rynhold 1996: 109; see also Wallerstein 1996: 64).
Such behaviour reflects tacit recognition of MTCR norms. China’s accession to a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in June 1996 potentially
provides even stronger evidence in favour of institutionalist predictions.
Whilst China did carry out a nuclear test in 1995, the acceptance of a zerolevel CTBT has frozen China’s nuclear capabilities. Commentators have
explained China’s acceptance of the CTBT by pointing to the way in which
it sees ‘security gains . . . in a test ban that further discourages nuclear
proliferation, freezes the gap in nuclear weapons development between
China and India, and prevents the gap between Russia and the US from
widening’ (Garrett and Glaser 1995: 76; see also Mak 1998: 106). China’s
incentives to freeze this gap were increased greatly because it had conducted
its own nuclear test in May 1995, and indeed it had delayed the CTBT
process to allow it to complete its nuclear modernization programme (Roy
1998b: 151). However, adhering to the CTBT also requires China to risk
proliferation in South Asia, as has indeed recently occurred. In line with
neorealist theory, Carpenter suggests that any attempt to lock India into
the CTBT furthered India’s incentives to close the gap between its nuclear
capabilities and those of China (Carpenter 1998: 2–3). China’s accession
to the Treaty is therefore notable from an institutionalist perspective,
especially if it continues to abide by it in the light of recent developments
(Gill 2001: 261).
Finally, over the 1990s China has made important adaptations to the
norms of the major economic international regimes. In 1994 and 1996
China took major steps to comply with IMF exchange rate procedures
and has been highly successful over the 1990s in gaining World Bank
financial assistance for its modernization programme. China was insulated
from the effects of the East Asian financial crisis because speculation
against its currency was difficult given its lack of convertability for capital
account transactions. Nevertheless, it resisted the temptation to devalue
despite the immediate term benefits this might bring. It did so partly to
prevent contagion of the crisis and partly because of its reputation as a
cooperative member of the international financial order (Moore and Yang
2001). China has also pushed throughout the 1990s for membership of
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GATT/WTO, progressively lowering tariffs and adjusting to standards on
economic transparency, despite Taiwan’s ‘customs territory’ status within
this institution (Harris 1997: 139–140; Feeny 1998: 245–248; Roy 1998b:
92–94). In November 1999, China had signed an agreement with the US
that guaranteed bilateral market access and committed it to meeting most
of the difficult issues raised by WTO accession (Pearson 1999: 337).
China’s involvement in APEC since 1991 also provides evidence in favour
of institutionalist predictions. As well as enhancing China’s status, China
views APEC as a means of pursuing its WTO accession objectives, and
especially to put pressure on the US with respect to non-discrimination.
APEC commitments ‘have been less specific than for the WTO but they
have generally required constructive and co-operative participation’ (Harris
1997: 142). This has involved China in routine dialogue with APEC
members, again implicitly including Taiwan (Funabashi 1994: 44; Yahuda
1996a: 215). China’s extensive use of and adaptation towards the norms
of international economic regimes over the 1990s could be interpreted as
supporting institutionalist’s predictions about its behaviour.
Overall, however, general qualifications must be made concerning the
strengths of an institutionalist interpretation of China’s post-Cold War
strategies. The case for institutionalism relies on the negative argument
that whilst China has shown signs of increasing assertiveness, this has
been tempered by institutional frameworks. As has been discussed, there
is available evidence that international institutions have affected important
aspects of China’s foreign policy since 1989. However, it is difficult to
make a convincing positive case that international institutions shaped
underlying features of China’s post-1989 foreign policy.
Liberalism 1: domestic variation
Liberalism predicts that a high degree of cultural and institutional variation will be built into the dynamics displayed by the emerging international
system. This is due to the way in which the process of internalizing liberal
norms will be affected by domestic coalitions within states reflecting
embedded social identities, economic interests and domestic political institutions. For this reason, domestic preferences play a critical role in
explaining international behaviour and outcomes in the liberal model.
Liberalism also anticipates that states adopting a competitive security orientation and/or mercantilist economic tendency will come under pressure to
internalize a liberal identity. This prediction will be assessed in the final
section addressing the strategic choices faced by China. First, however, it
is necessary to establish that domestic factors have played a more
autonomous role in shaping China’s foreign policy over the post-Cold
War period than anticipated by either neorealism or institutionalism.
There is considerable evidence that neorealism and institutionalism fail
to account for important dimensions of China’s post-Cold War strategies.
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Neorealism and institutionalism share a focus on the way in which a
state’s foreign policy is driven by external developments that can enhance
a country’s relative or absolute status. By contrast, liberalism draws attention to the way in which China’s foreign policy may be influenced by
domestic considerations. Kim, for instance, comments that the ‘defining
feature [of China’s foreign policy] . . . is the high level of internal threats
to the government’s security and legitimacy. External events . . . are seen
primarily in terms of how they affect the state’s internal stability and
legitimacy’ (Kim 1998: 19). His analysis suggests that China’s concern
with its status had yielded to more immediate anxiety about its internal
cohesion as a source of motivation for its international behaviour.
In terms of its internal political organization, China faces profound
economic, social and ideological changes that threaten to undermine its
domestic regime. In economic terms, China’s pursuit of an export-led
growth strategy has been associated with the devolution of control over
the economy and foreign trade from central ministries to provincial,
municipal and even county levels. In consequence, the Chinese executive
has lost much of its authority over core areas of economic planning such
as taxation and controlling the money supply (Segal 1994: 12–14; see
also Kitano 1994: 154). Wider social changes have also seriously undermined the Chinese state. China is undergoing a general transition to a
new generation of civilian and military elites. This has been accompanied
by a rise in political mobilization reflecting increased ability and desire of
social groups to influence domestic and foreign policy issues (Swaine 1995:
1). These developments have impacted on core areas of security concern
to the Chinese state. Most obviously, they affected succession politics
surrounding the death of Deng Xioping in 1996. Deng’s successor,
Jiang Zemin, had to rely primarily on instruments of power other than
personal authority such as his position within the executive and support
from bureaucratic groupings, notably the PLA. Yet the PLA itself is
no longer the cohesive entity it once was because corruption and its
extensive involvement in non-military sectors of China’s export economy
have severely undermined discipline and professionalism (Segal 1994: 26;
Joffe 1997: 56). In combination, therefore, economic change and social
modernization within China threaten core aspects of the regime’s internal
sovereignty.
A third challenge to the Chinese state is the threat to the legitimacy of
Communist ideology brought on by economic and social change. Analysts
have depicted this development in terms of the ‘legitimation crisis’ or a
‘crisis of faith’ in Communism. Levine identifies a shift from formal
ideology Communism to ‘informal ideology’ in the form of a generic
Chinese nationalism (Harding 1993: 38; Hamrin 1994: 94; Levine 1994:
43). However, even here Chinese authorities are facing mounting problems. First, it is difficult for Chinese authorities to bridge the gap between
Communism and nationalism
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because for forty years the party has been denouncing just about every
feature of Chinese culture as a feudal abomination that should be
obliterated. [Moreover] . . . it is not easy to articulate what exactly
are the Chinese qualities that should be defended . . . [except] the
belief that leaders have a claim to moral superiority as the defenders
of the moral order, even if this means acting in . . . arbitrary ways.
(Pye 1991: 63)
Second, the Communist Party’s attempt to appeal to nationalism is
troubled by the emergence of a severe nationalities problem, particularly in
China’s outer provinces. Separatist disturbances in Xinjiang, Tibet and
Inner Mongolia have been widespread, and have been taken very seriously
indeed (Segal 1994: 30–31). Overall, China’s state elite faces an ideological vacuum at the heart of its attempts to consolidate its sovereignty.
Many of the pressures on the Chinese regime have their roots in the
liberalization that began in the 1970s. However, only after the developments in Tiananmen Square in 1989 did the scale of the challenges that
the Chinese state faced become apparent. After June 1989:
CCP hardliners attempted to address the accumulated ideological problems of the past decade. Unfortunately, no ready solution was at hand.
Having drained the fouled oil of Maoist identity from the crankcase
of Communist power, Deng and his associates had nothing to replace
it with. So . . . they poured the oily sludge back in, hoping the engine
would still run.
(Levine 1994: 32)
Tiananmen forced the Chinese elite to recognize the problems that
modernization posed to their own legitimacy. Yet, in so doing it only
made them aware of the necessity of continuing this strategy. In the
wake of the Beijing massacre, many observers expected China to back
away from economic reforms but Deng Xioping instead sped up economic
reform to reinforce the legitimacy of the Communist Party (Segal 1994:
13). Furthermore, given the scope of the changes taking place in China,
there is no easy way out of its predicament without widespread political upheaval affecting the whole of Chinese society. As Segal notes, ‘this
is not just a crisis of the regime; it has important elements of a
crisis of national identity’ (Segal 1994: 62; see also Kim and Dittmer
1993: 257).
One major analyst has attempted to relate China’s internal political
crisis to its international behaviour. Johnston argues that China has
adopted ‘identity realist’ preferences. Identity realism suggests:
Chinese leaders believe the primary dangers in their environment come
from . . . challenges to the cohesiveness of internal order. The Chinese
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leadership has tried to intensify popular identification with the regime
and the nation-state, with the result that we have seen a . . . hardening of realpolitik discourse and behaviour.
(Johnston 1999: 263–264)
According to Johnston, the concept of identity realism is drawn from
research into group identity formation and conflict. This literature holds
that the creation of in-group identities leads directly to the devaluation
of out-groups. This in turn leads to competitive interpretations of the relationship with the out-group. It is important to recognize that the in-group
does not resent or distrust the out-group because of some tangible threat
to in-group interests as neorealism/realism posits. Rather it is socialized
and learned whether or not a tangible threat exists. Thus the causal arrow
runs the other way to the direction suggested by neorealism because identity construction determines anarchy and how much fear and competition
results. Under these circumstances, ‘the group needs to provide arguments
about the competitiveness of the environment in order to reinforce ingroup
identification. This is what realpolitik as ideology does’ (Johnston 1999:
288–291).
Johnston argues that ‘efforts to increase the intensity of identification
with the Chinese state – while never absent in post-1949 history, of course
– picked up . . . after June 4, 1989’. Tiananmen ‘provided information to
Chinese leaders that suggested more work needed to be done to intensify
ingroup identification’ (Johnston 1999: 293–294). Johnston is clear that
the critical shift in the intensity of ingroup identification occurred after
the Tiananmen incident rather than in response to the collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991. It is not, therefore, a product of structural changes
associated with the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless, Johnston also
recognizes that the end of the Cold War has been extremely important
for China’s crisis of identity. This is because the end of the Cold War
has ‘reinforced information about ingroup-outgroup differences that
were made especially apparent with June 4th’ by reducing US incentives
to downplay political differences with China’ (Johnston 1999: 295).
Moreover, the demise of the Soviet Union has dramatically reduced
China’s vulnerability to direct invasion, such that for the first time in the
history of the People’s Republic of China does not face an identifying or
pressing external threat. As Segal notes, under these circumstances central
government has more difficulty appealing to the myth of national unity
(Segal 1994: 10; Shambaugh 1994: 48). Thus, paradoxically, the relatively
benign systemic context poses a threat to the domestic legitimacy of the
ruling elite. In this way, the close coincidence of the Tiananmen incident
and the collapse of the Soviet Union had mutually reinforcing effects.
Together they starkly revealed the fragility of the regime’s legitimacy so
that, within the space of a few years, Chinese elites dramatically changed
their perception of the strength of their political authority.
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The literature on China’s foreign policy frequently develops themes that
resonate strongly with the motivational logic suggested by the concept of
identity realism. Johnston points out that although China’s defence
modernization drive ‘persists under near unipolarity, . . . Chinese assessments describe the post-Cold War period as the most benign period in
Chinese strategic security since at least 1949’ (Johnston 1999: 263). Other
analysts propose that China’s aggressive stance in the South China Sea
reflects the way in which ‘economic reforms . . . . have put China’s conservatives on the defensive, and they are using nationalistic issues, like
sovereignty over the Spratly’s, to assert themselves’ (Valencia 1995: 18;
see also Segal 1994: 45). Austin argues that it is China’s public order
crisis which lies behind increasingly assertive Chinese rhetoric over its
disputes concerning Taiwan and Hong Kong and with Japan (Austin 1995:
15). More generally, Shambaugh comments that ‘[t]he end of the Cold
War and the absence of an overt threat . . . belies a complex picture.
China still feels insecure despite an unprecedented peaceful national security environment. This gives rise to an increasingly assertive nationalism
and military build-up’ (Shambaugh 1994: 55; see also Shambaugh 1992:
89). Overall, identity realism suggests that domestic pressures have led
China to pursue a foreign policy that, whilst superficially resembling
neorealist behaviour, is actually underpinned by a very distinctive kind of
political realism.
Identity realism is capable of providing a consistent overall explanation
of apparently contradictory features of China’s post-Cold War foreign
policy behaviour. Whilst China has displayed a pronounced tendency
towards a predominantly ‘realist’ foreign policy, it has also made significant use of international institutions over the 1990s. Goldstein argues
that China pragmatically combines a subtle realpolitik effort at developing
national capabilities with a level of diplomatic and economic engagement
designed to maximize the benefits from interdependence (Goldstein 2003).
However, a problem with this ‘neo-Bismarckian’ view of China’s grand
strategy is that a mix of pragmatic acceptance and functional incentives
has not motivated China’s significant use of institutional frameworks as
institutionalism postulates. As Yahuda identifies:
it is not that the entanglement with the outside world has tied [the
regime’s] hands . . . or taught them the value of co-operative
approaches to security, but rather that the harsh realities of the problems of maintaining their rule at home has persuaded China’s rulers
of the imperatives of deepening economic engagement with the outside
world.
(Yahuda 1997: 7; see also Roy 1998b: 104)
In line with identity realist behaviour, the overriding concern of the ruling
elites with their internal sovereignty has led them to participate in inter-
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national institutions. Moreover, the professionalization, pluralization and
decentralization of the foreign-policy establishment has introduced uncertainties and incoherence into the policy-making process. Commentators
have identified that policy uncertainty has lead to a reactive stance, and
explains the somewhat opaque nature of China’s posture on many key
issues such as the future of Taiwan or Korean unification. It also helps
account for the anomalously high levels of its participation in some multilateral frameworks, for example the CTBT (Gill 2001; Kim 2001; Lampton
2001; Swaine 2001). An identity realist explanation of China’s post-Cold
War foreign policy therefore reveals structural tensions at the core of
China’s management of its interdependent relations. Whilst the elite have
become reliant on engagement with the outside world for their legitimacy,
this very interdependence poses a threat to its authority. Under these
circumstances, the regime adopts realpolitik discourse and behaviour as
the only means available to them to strengthen in-group identification. In
turn, however, this generates structural policy incoherence and deep problems in China’s relations with the West.
Johnston identifies the contradictions that lie at the core of China’s
diplomatic conduct. He notes that:
China’s self-identification has undergone . . . a blurring. The traditional sovereign-centric, autonomous major power identity . . . has
been uneasily linked to a newer identity . . . [associated with responsible] participation in institutions. . . . This linkage has created a
tension in diplomacy between China’s desire to show itself as an
active, involved participant in international institutions . . . , and the
desire to minimise commitments and constraints that are required by
this participation.
(Johnston 1998: 77)
Similarly, Robinson recognizes that as China’s interdependence has risen:
Beijing’s foreign policy could only become highly interactive, participatory and co-operative. But these attitudes by themselves did not
spell interdependence. Rather a complex mix of dependence, autonomy
(termed independence by the leadership), and interdependence ensued.
(Robinson 1998: 40)
This mix of inconsistent motivations is impossible to capture through a
focus on China’s relative or absolute status as neorealism and institutionalism suggest. As Beylerian and Canivet conclude, the real preoccupation of the Chinese regime over the 1990s was not with status but
with identity (Beylerian and Cavinet 1997: 222). Thus, unlike neorealist
and institutionalist alternatives, identity realism neatly captures the distinctive way in which China’s foreign policy reflects the complexity of the
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relationship between its regime’s domestic authority and its external
environment.
Overall, a convincing case can be made for the prediction of the liberal
model with respect to China’s post-Cold War strategies. This is not to claim
that China has articulated a broadly liberal set of strategic preferences.
Instead, China’s foreign-policy behaviour falls outside the ranges predicted
by neorealism and institutionalism due to the strong influence of its strategic
preferences on its international behaviour. China’s realist diplomatic conduct arises because of the distinctive way in which its ruling elite is both
deeply reliant on the benefits of interdependence and fears its consequences.
The concept of identity realism is able to explain apparently contradictory
elements of China’s behaviour as consistent dimensions of a single underlying strategic orientation. However, this raises the deeper question of the
extent to which China will be able to continue along its present path.
Liberalism 2: China’s choices
The ‘engagement-containment debate’ has provided the most prominent
way of framing the discussion about China’s political choices in the postCold War international system. This debate is concerned with how the US
and the West more generally should conduct relations with a ‘rising China’.
The engagement school follows institutionalist logic in advocating enmeshing China in international regimes in order to maximize the smooth integration of China into the international order. By contrast, the containment
school follows neorealism in regarding conflict with China as likely in the
face of its rising capabilities. They see China as a threat to the international
system, and advocate balance of power tactics to deter or contain China
(Shambaugh 1996: 184–185; see also Layne 1996; Shinn 1996).
As a way of discussing China’s strategic options, the engagementcontainment debate is highly problematic. However, apparently polarized
the positions are, in practice they are difficult to distinguish. Segal identifies that the debate is ‘often unsophisticated’, suggesting that although
containment can work, China’s neighbours and powers further afield need
to appreciate that they must use elements from a strategy of engagement as
well (Segal 1996: 134). Similarly, on Shinn’s formulation, it is necessary
to pursue a strategy of ‘conditional engagement’ as a more sophisticated
alternative to unconditional engagement and pre-emptive containment
(Shinn 1996: 3–4). What this blurring reflects is that in the absence of
information about China’s intentions, its response to Western polices is
difficult to anticipate. Advocates of either position must therefore qualify
their prescriptions by making them in some way dependent or ‘conditional’
on certain types of behaviour. As Shambaugh identifies:
[o]ften missing in the [engagement-containment] debate . . . is a consideration of China’s potential responses to these polarised policies and
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. . . of the domestic variables inside China that will condition its
external orientation. . . . The Western debate . . . treats China as a
static entity that will simply have to adjust to whatever policy the
other nations pursue.
(Shambaugh 1996: 182; see also Sato 1998)
Johnston provides an alternative framework for analysing China’s choices
that is more amenable to consideration of internal factors. He distinguishes between learning and adaptation as different responses China could
make to its changing international environment. Learning occurs:
if change in policy is due to shifts in the central paradigm held by
the policy makers . . . as new information about the external environment is internalised by the decision-makers. In contrast, in the
adaptation model, a change in policy is due to tactical adjustment to
changing external conditions. We should therefore expect to see no
change in paradigm but rather a re-evaluation of the costs and benefits of previous tactics . . . as exogenous conditions change.
(Johnston 1996: 31)
Some proponents of engagement have made the argument that China has
engaged in foreign-policy learning. For example, Harris argues that in the
economic realm China did undergo a learning process. Chinese policy
thinkers abandoned many deeply rooted assumptions and came to accept
and internalize the need for economic cooperation. This provides evidence
that China has engaged in ‘socialization’ towards liberal norms (Harris
1997: 150–151).
However, such a view is rather simplistic because it presumes a relationship between China’s use of economic institutions and change in its
underlying preferences. Pearson adopts a more cautious assessment. While
noting that there are some indications that economic engagement has
shaped China’s domestic political and economic coalitions in line with
the norms of international economic regimes, she also points out that
compliance was strongest when international regimes coincide with
domestic commercial interests, thus weakening the argument for engagement having a socializing influence. Johnston and Evans similarly note
that there are very few, if any, cases of security institutions altering China’s
conceptions of its interests (Johnston and Evans 1999; Pearson 1999: 229).
Even where there are limited signs of socialization, this reflects the growing
disjointedness and incoherence of the foreign policy-making process and
the policy uncertainty this has generated, and is not indicative of fundamental cognitive change (Gill 2001; Lampton 2001; Johnston 2003). Wang
concludes that the argument that China is becoming socialized to the
norms of multilateral institutions through its policy of engagement lacks
plausibility. The norms these institutions embody ‘are far from being
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internalised . . . and are nowhere near being taken-for-granted’ by Chinese
elites (Wang 2000: 486).
These commentators are more sophisticated in their evaluation of the
effects of China’s engagement because they recognize the way Chinese elites
have ultimately embraced interdependence only in order to preserve
their domestic authority. Indeed, China has adopted policy discourse and
practices compatible with realism to compensate for the way in which
interdependence poses a threat to its regime’s legitimacy. Thus China’s
behaviour must be understood in terms of adaptation rather than learning.
However, it is possible to develop a more sophisticated version of the argument that China today faces systemic pressures to fundamentally change
the central paradigm held by foreign policy makers. On this formulation:
interdependence is a predicament countries must deal with rather than
a worldview or foreign policy strategy, and what matters most is
China’s behaviour coping with this predicament, not whether its behaviour reflects learning or adaptation.
(Moore and Yang 2001: 226)
From this perspective, it is China’s distinctive inability to fully appreciate
the consequences of its interdependence with the outside world that lies
behind its deep crisis of national identity.
One possible response the Chinese elite could make to this predicament
is a shift towards ‘neo-conservatism’. Whilst a neoconservative revival in
China may encourage it to adopt a more hard-line version of realpolitik,
it should not be understood in neorealist terms. Rather, neoconservatism
may be seen as a response to the intensification of China’s crisis of national
identity since the late 1980s. Fewsmith notes that in the post-Tiananmen
era, neoconservatism must be seen as a reaction to the way in which ‘the
question is not so much whether to reform as how to hold on in the face
of reform’ (Fewsmith 1995: 635). Neoconservatism shares the orientation
of traditional conservatism towards maintaining cohesion in Chinese
society. However, it is characterized by an acceptance of a much broader
and more important role for market forces than traditional conservative
thinking ever contemplated. Similarly, neoconservatism suggests that a
patriotic appeal would be more effective than traditional socialist ideology
in providing social integration. However, neoconservatism has important
limitations as a viable political course for China because it
has not yet presented any convincing arguments to address effectively
the problems in Chinese society that it has identified. . . . [N]eoconservatives have not explained how their sense of nationalism can match
China’s evident need to continue importing capital and exporting
goods.
(Fewsmith 1995: 649)
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A neoconservative shift would therefore only exacerbate China’s current
problems and speed up the process of regime transition. For this reason,
the neoconservative option is perhaps not the most likely for China.
A second course for the Chinese regime would be to continue with its
present stance. Such an approach would be characterized by incremental
responses to the challenges faced by the Chinese state, rather than the
acceptance of fundamental political change. This strategy should therefore be seen as a form of ‘muddling through’ or adaptation, rather than
in terms of learning. However, as with the neoconservative course, there
are question marks about the sustainability of such an approach. Harding
uses the term ‘decay’ to describe this direction for China (Harding 1993:
36; see also Harding 1994). The case of the handover of Hong Kong to
China provides a useful indication as to why this is the case. Yahuda
notes that how China handles the handover ‘will not only determine the
fate of the former British colony . . . , but it will also shape the evolution
of China’s political identity and its integration into the international
community’ (Yahuda 1996b: 1). He identifies that there are strong functional incentives for China to demonstrate a commitment to the rule of
law in Hong Kong. It would ease China’s entry into the WTO, and provide
a strong precedent for a ‘one country, two systems’ approach to the
integration of Taiwan into the PRC. However, he also stresses that:
the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty will pose many problems to China itself. If the actual process of the transfer of sovereignty
could be successfully managed, Hong Kong could then pose further
challenges to the Chinese Communist government . . . as an attractive model for all those . . . who seek the benefits of a greater legality
and an increased democratic accountability.
(Yahuda 1996b: 4)
Thus the handover of Hong Kong represents a ‘turning point’ for China. It
points up the limitations of China accepting adaptation without addressing
the more fundamental political issues this raises for the Chinese state.
An alternative course to either neoconservatism or pragmatic adaptation would be for China to adopt a basic change in the cognitive framework
informing its policy choices. This response would represent learning rather
than adaptation by China. Once again, Hong Kong’s handover exemplifies China’s predicament. Whilst Hong Kong poses a major threat to the
sovereignty of the Chinese regime, the problems it poses arise because the
elite is reluctant to recognize processes of decentralization. Accepting a
federal solution could be of great benefit to China, although as Segal identifies, at present ‘it is unlikely that . . . [it] will adopt a formally federal
structure’ (Segal 1994: 63). As has been noted, there are important functional incentives for China to accept a ‘one country, two systems’ approach
to the integration of Hong Kong. More fundamentally, however, such a
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solution would provide a more sustainable framework through which to
enhance the legitimacy of the Chinese state. Whilst the regime would risk
greatly increased separatist demands, pressures for decentralization are
unlikely to wane unless a viable framework to accommodate them can
be found. By acknowledging some decentralizing trends, Chinese authorities might make a formal break-up of China less likely. In this way, ‘[t]he
recovery of Hong Kong . . . is occurring at a time when it could play an
exceptional role in easing China’s painful transition’ (Yahuda 1996b: 14;
see also Segal 1994: 64).
If China were to adopt a learning response to its ongoing identity crisis,
this could provide a more stable framework from which to engage other
major powers, and might also promote China’s equality of status with
them. China’s realist self-identification currently encourages it to behave
in a confusing and inconsistent manner towards Western powers seeking
engagement with it. At the same time, the debate over engagement versus
containment of China in the West reflects uncertainties about China’s
strategic intentions (Abramowitz 1998: 40; Funabashi 1998b: 53). By
shifting towards an identity that allows China to articulate a more consistent set of priorities favouring engagement, it could facilitate this process and benefit accordingly from the economic benefits that flow from
this. Furthermore, a change in the cognitive framework informing China’s
foreign policy could promote its equality with other major powers. This
is because China could reciprocally demand that Western powers develop
more coherent policies towards engagement than they have to date. The
1996 Taiwan Straits missile crisis provides a suitable case in point. There
are strong reasons to believe that incoherence in US policy rather than
Chinese assertiveness lay behind this incident. US policy towards China
had been poorly defined and sent ambiguous signals about the US’s intentions (Shinn 1996: 14; Lampton 1997: 1102). The US has subsequently
clarified its policies through the publication of the conditional engagement
strategy. Nevertheless, as a whole the West’s engagement policy remains
fundamentally inconsistent. The unequal nature of the US-Europe and the
US-Japan relationship has sent confusing messages to China. In the short
term, this allows China to play off Western states against one another
to achieve its own objectives (Moller 1996; Maull 1997; Sato 1998).
However, it also inhibits China’s full participation in the international
system, preventing China from developing its relations with both the US
and Japan at the same time. Sato notes the ways in which an engagement
strategy based on a more symmetrical US-Japanese relationship would
reduce the threat to China’s security posed by the forward US defence
presence, and allow China a greater role in shaping trilateral relations
(Sato 1998: 14–20). The key principle is that by adopting a learning
response to interdependence, China can more effectively demand reciprocity in the clarification of the West’s engagement policies (Jisi 1998:
22–23).
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However, only a response involving a basic shift in the central paradigm held by Chinese policy makers – or learning – would provide it with
a cognitive framework fully consistent with engagement with the outside
world. Thus whilst the West can take significant steps to facilitate China’s
integration into the international system, it is ultimately China itself which
must make the most crucial decisions about its future international role.
Since 1989, China’s political future has been radically open. The current
elite’s stop-gap approach is unsustainable in the long term. Overall, ‘signs
that China is changing shape are increasingly clear. A closer look at its
national identity reveals fissures and pressures that have long been masked
by an official determination to uphold the myth of national unity’ (Segal
1994: 54). In the face of this predicament, China could move in any one
of a number of different directions. Both a shift towards neoconservatism
or a compete break-up of China should not be ruled out. Ultimately, the
fate of China will depend critically on how the Chinese manage their
reforms. The elite’s distinctive political identity is currently the major
obstacle preventing China from adopting a ‘learning’ response to the challenges it faces. Whilst the elite continues to block off fundamental change,
the probable path in the medium term will be a continuation of pragmatic adaptation. As Segal recognizes, ‘[t]he most likely outcome is a
prolonged crisis of identity, where changes short of a complete collapse
have an important impact on the lives of the Chinese and its neighbours’
(Segal 1994: 62).
Overall, the Communist regime is facing the problem that its ideology is
no longer able to provide China with the national purpose it was once able
to supply. Under these circumstances, China must be prepared to confront
the way in which its existing political identity is no longer able to deal with
the new challenges it faces. This requires the state elite to accept fundamental political change. However unlikely in the short term, China’s failure to take this course can only exacerbate its sense of insecurity within the
international system. China’s identity crisis reflects the way in which the
state lacks a stable ontological foundation in the sense that Communism
has not been replaced by an ideology able to restore a stable sense of
national cohesion. In an external environment full of changes the Chinese
regime is preoccupied by possible risks to its existence, and finds itself paralyzed in terms of practical action. Moreover, the Chinese regime has
become morally ‘empty’, and lacks legitimacy because it is unsure about the
basis for its existence. Under these conditions it has difficulty formulating
a coherent foreign policy, and consequently subjects its behaviour to
constant scrutiny. Indeed, the essence of China’s identity crisis is that,
paradoxically, the intensification since 1989 of its traditionally realist
foreign policy orientation lies at the root of its deep sense of unease with
the world. Until the regime comes to recognize this, China will continue
to face structural problems in managing the transition to the post-Cold
War world.
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Conclusions
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War generated
both major opportunities and important problems for the study of international politics. Whilst these developments opened up extraordinary new
avenues for research within the field, they have also been deeply unsettling for widely held assumptions. The period of post-Cold War transition
has presented a historic context in which to test and refine competing
theories of international relations. The preconditions are present for each
of the three dominant perspectives on the international system to make
a discrete set of predictions about the emerging international order. In
line with structural or neorealism, the end of the Cold War has brought
about a major shift in the global balance of power. In line with institutionalism, patterns of economic and institutional interdependence vary
widely across key strategic regions. In line with liberalism, a stable core
of liberal democracies overwhelmingly dominates the emerging international system for the first time in world history. Thus students of
international relations have been presented with a situation that genuinely
approximates a ‘real world laboratory’ for the evaluation of their central
conceptual frameworks. Paradoxically, however, the end of the Cold War
has placed enormous strains on the contemporary discipline. More than
a decade on, the larger historical significance of the changes that took
place in the international system between 1989 and 1991 is still far from
clear. It remains wide open to debate, for example, why the Soviet Union
came to such an abrupt end during this period, despite having been widely
assumed to be stable throughout the Cold War. Similarly, the consequences of the disintegration of the Soviet empire for the emerging
international order continue to be highly uncertain. The situation in which
the international system finds itself today is not necessarily entirely new.
Yet the unexpected nature and enormous scale of the changes associated
with the end of the Cold War have added weight to the argument that
the international system may be undergoing a transformation that established perspectives are poorly equipped to comprehend.
Ambivalence about the significance of the end of the Cold War for
research within the field has given rise to difficulties. In particular, there
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has been a paucity of attempts to systematically address the conceptual
problems raised by the failure to predict the collapse of the Soviet Union,
and to use the resulting framework to analyse trends in the emerging
international order. By confronting directly the full range of theoretical
and empirical issues raised by the end of the Cold War, the present study
has attempted to address this gap in the literature. The theoretical chapter
addressed the issue of reconceptualizing the international system for the
post-Cold War period. It scrutinized the conventional understanding of
the relationship between neorealism, institutionalism and liberalism, and
evaluated the prospects for a new synthesis of their insights. This new
synthesis sought to both integrate the collapse of the Soviet Union into
a conception of overall historical tendencies within the international
system, and generate a broader research agenda into the nature of postCold War order than that produced by debates between neorealists and
institutionalists. Case studies of the foreign policies of major states over
the period between 1989 and 1999 were then examined in the light of
the theoretical models. Studying the responses of these countries to the
end of the Cold War provided indications of empirical trends in the
emerging international system. The conclusions summarize the theoretical
and empirical findings of the study in three sections. The first section
reflects on the implications of the Soviet collapse for systemic approaches
to international relations, and sets out the implications of liberal theory
for research programmes within the field after the Cold War. It highlights
the distinctive capacity of liberalism to synthesize the insights offered by
competing schools of thought, and the importance of the concept of reflexivity. The remainder of the conclusion summarizes the empirical findings
with respect to the nature of change in the post-Cold War international
system. The second section focuses on general patterns of institutionalized activity in relations between the major powers. The third section
discusses foreign policy adjustments between 1989 and 1999. The book
concludes by reflecting upon the methodological status of the knowledge
about the post-Cold War international system that it has produced. In
particular, consideration is given to the relationship between knowledge
about changes in the international system it contains, and the reflexivity
in the international system documented.
International relations theory after the Cold War
The collapse of the Soviet Union raised important questions about the
way in which long term dynamics within the international system are
conceptualized. This was dramatically revealed by the failure of established theories to predict this development. The publication of Waltz’s
Theory of International Politics in 1979 placed the concept of the ‘international system’ in a position of central importance in the discipline.
Systemic approaches promise generalizable explanations, and offer strong
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Conclusions
predictive statements. Thus failure to predict perhaps the most important
geopolitical development in world politics during the second half of the
twentieth century ought to be of particular concern. The most prominent
exponents of systemic theory have suggested that this development should
be understood as an exogenous shock in international relations. Waltz
himself argues that the Soviet collapse should be viewed as an event with
unit level causes, but as generating structural consequences. Keohane has
similarly argued that a development of the magnitude of the Soviet collapse
is simply beyond the purview of systemic theory to either predict or
explain, and likens this event to the impact of a meteor strike in the study
of palaeontology. Yet the irony in these judgements ought to be clearly
apparent from the logic of systemic arguments. It is precisely the ‘few big
and important things’ that occur in international politics that systemic
theory is uniquely positioned to identify. Thus neither Waltz nor Keohane
give enough consideration to the possibility that conceptions of the international system established during the Cold War were simply too narrow
to adequately capture overall historical tendencies within it.
Limitations of the debates between structural realists and institutionalists are also reflected in the research programme they have proposed for
the post-Cold War period. Debates between these schools have suggested
that attempts to refine rationalist models provided the most fruitful agenda
for research in the field after the Cold War. Theoretically, research should
focus on the conditionality of relative gains-seeking behaviour. Empirically,
research should focus on the interaction between international institutions
and state behaviour within Western Europe. As a region where patterns
of economic and institutional interdependence are well developed, realism
and institutionalism offer divergent hypotheses about the nature of international change. Indeed, an important body of research has emerged
from these theoretical controversies. This has provided a preliminary
assessment of the way in which the major powers in Europe used international institutions in adapting to the changes of the 1989–1991 period
(Keohane et al. 1993). However, a limitation of this research programme
is its remarkably narrow nature, with the result that it excludes major
arenas of inquiry. For example, realists have identified that in East
Asia there are clear candidates for major power status, but patterns of
economic and institutional interdependence remain under-developed. In
the absence of the preconditions for peaceful change identified by institutionalists, realist predictions about growing instability in this region after
the Cold War remain unchallenged. Keohane acknowledges that the end
of the Cold War has added a dialectic between theory and practice to
that between competing schools (Keohane 1993: 297). Nevertheless, the
research programme put forward by realists and institutionalists clearly
implies that theories of the international system established during the
Cold War do not need to be revised fundamentally in the light of developments in international politics over the 1990s.
Conclusions
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William Wohlforth has attempted to reformulate the neorealist model
so as to make it compatible with a broader research agenda that includes
the prospect of great power stability at a global level (Wohlforth 1999).
According to this argument, the concentration of American capabilities
within the international system is so great that it prohibits systematic
attempts at counter-balancing by secondary states. However, there are
various problems faced by this variant of hegemonic stability theory.
First, like orthodox neorealism and institutionalism it cannot provide an
endogenous account of the collapse of the Soviet Union in terms compatible with the orthodox neorealist model. Wohlforth has developed a
sophisticated classical realist account of the end of the Cold War that
takes account of the way in which the Soviet Union was a declining challenger rather than a declining hegemon. This historical contingency can,
Wohlforth proposes, help realism explain the timing and peaceful character of the end of the Cold War (Wohlforth 1995). However, as Wohlforth
fully acknowledges, this approach dilutes systemic logic in the attempt to
broaden realism’s explanatory power. Second, as was noted in the introduction, Wohlforth’s argument about the stability of the unipolar world
is not compatible with the essential logic of orthodox neorealist theory
despite its structuralist and materialist orientation. Orthodox neorealism
associated with Waltz holds that a high concentration of capabilities with
the hegemon will, if anything, further encourage lesser countries to balance
against the most powerful actor within the international system. The
hegemon’s disproportionate power will generate structural conflicts of
interest to emerge between it and secondary states, and the hegemon will
also be tempted to abuse its unchecked power. Thus the concentration of
capabilities within the system will gradually ‘wash out’ as the global
balance of power is restored. Wohlforth’s modification of neorealist theory
is therefore open to the criticism that it provides a post hoc rationalization of the predictive failures associated with conventional neorealism’s
account of the emerging structure of international politics. For this reason,
Wohlforth’s modified structural realist argument for the stability of a
unipolar world has not been operationalized and tested within the scope
of the present study. Instead, the debates between orthodox neorealism
and institutionalism have been taken as the key points of reference for
system level theory.
Clark has argued that more than a decade’s theoretical debate in the
field has failed to provide an overarching framework for the analysis of
the post-Cold War order. He therefore eschews this approach in favour
of a historically informed analysis (Clark 2001: 36). If correct, this represents a damning indictment of debates that have taken place in international relations theory over the past two decades. Systemic approaches
imply that the end of the Cold War should have provided as close as is
possible an ideal situation in which to test and refine competing theories.
An alternative view, however, is that patterns of change since 1989
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Conclusions
necessitate a more thoroughgoing reassessment of theories of the international system than has been put forward to date. Contrary to the claims
of realists and institutionalists, systemic theory must be comprehensively
revised in the light of the end of the Cold War. First, theories of international relations must be able to offer an endogenous account of the
Soviet collapse. This development cannot be considered as simply a reflection of internal processes particular to the Soviet Union at a specific
historical juncture. Instead, it must be integrated into a coherent account
of long-term tendencies within the international system. Second, theories
of the international system developed during the Cold War must be thoroughly overhauled if they are to adequately capture the dynamics of the
emerging international order. The end of the Cold War should be seen
as marking a fundamental shift in the overall trajectory of socialization
generated by the international system. This shift has affected the structure of relationships between all the major powers, and has radically
altered the prospects for peaceful change in the international system on
a global scale. It therefore requires a much broader agenda for research
than that put forward by established theories.
The starting point for this alternative approach is to question institutionalism’s interpretation of neorealism. Prominent institutionalists have
developed the argument that neorealism relies on the assumptions that
states act rationally in pursuit of their national interests. In turn, institutionalists use their interpretation of neorealism to develop their own
critique of its central arguments. Drawing on rational choice analysis and
theories of market failure from microeconomics, institutionalists seek to
demonstrate that international cooperation is possible even in the absence
of a centralized enforcement agency in the international system. However,
on closer examination institutionalists may have distorted neorealism’s
character. Waltz has consistently rejected the view that his theory relies
on the assumption of rational behaviour. Instead, he insists it relies on
selection effects generated by interaction in a competitive environment.
Viewed in this way, neorealism should be understood as focusing on
processes of identity construction and socialization arising from the generative consequences of anarchy. In this sense it relies on a reflexive logic
and is therefore closer to liberalism in terms of its conception of system
composition and dynamics than it is to institutionalism. Of course, the
account of state socialization provided by the neorealist model is a truncated one. Neorealist assumptions about the nature of anarchy commit it
to the reproduction of a competitive environment organized around the
balance of power. For this reason, neorealism remains possible to view
through rationalist lenses. Nevertheless, this should not detract from neorealism’s reflexive quality, and Waltz’s preference for relying on socializing feedback within the international system.
On the basis of this interpretation of neorealism, it is possible to reject
a linear understanding of the relationship between neorealism, institu-
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tionalism and liberalism in which institutionalism is seen as providing
the point of synthesis on a spectrum that runs between neorealism and
liberalism. Instead, the relationship between the three models should be
understood in terms of a triangle, with debates between neorealists and
institutionalists constituting the triangle’s rationalist leg and debates
between neorealists and liberals constituting its reflexivist leg. This view
of the relationship between the three models also implies a reformulation
of current orthodoxy on liberal theory. The current consensus is that liberalism focuses on the international consequences of domestic structure.
Moravcsik (1997) has recently generalized such a framework to develop
a liberal model granting casual priority to the domestic preferences.
However, drawing on Wendt’s constructivist research, it is possible to
produce a more systemic formulation of liberal theory in which the international system is regarded as having a self-transforming logic. Understood
in this way, liberalism’s focus on the generative consequences of anarchy
and the overall trajectory of socialization within the international system
is likely to prove more productive in the search for a general synthesis
of competing theories of international politics than institutionalists’
attempts to refine rationalist models. This view of contemporary debates
shifts the emphasis away from refining rationalist models by opening up
more fundamental questions about how patterns of socialization within
the international system might vary historically. In so doing, it points the
way forward to a new synthesis in which the democratic peace is viewed
as generating socialization effects once a critical mass of liberal democracies has emerged at global level. Prior to this stage, institutionalization
may occur within the narrow ranges specified by institutionalist theory,
but the dominant equilibrium will continue to be provided by a Waltzian
balance of power. After this stage, however, there is a shift in the trajectory of socialization away from the balance of power and towards the
democratic peace. Institutional density will therefore increase more quickly
reflecting a shift in the system’s cultural structure. Thus the distinctive
ability of liberalism to provide a general account of variation in socialization promises to subsume the insights of neorealism and institutionalism
into a much broader account of the historical development of world
politics.
The concept of reflexivity has been identified as central to a liberal
model of socialization. Following Wendt, reflexivity is defined in terms of
a capacity on the part of units for critical self-awareness and cultural
change (Wendt 1999: 375). A system that has achieved reflexivity is experiencing a major shift in the overall trajectory of socialization within it.
Under these conditions, a permissive space is opened up which encourages actors to voluntarily adopt shifts in their identity. Once a critical
mass of liberal states emerges, this produces a shift from a Lockean to a
Kantian culture as the dominant structure of interaction within the system.
This change is associated with a switch in the underlying trajectory of
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Conclusions
socialization away from a Waltzian balance of power and towards the
democratic peace. The overwhelming strength of the states approximating
liberal norms within the system’s core means that a wide range of functional and material incentives also exist to engage in cooperation and
interact commercially with states within the core. However, a system that
has achieved reflexivity will also open up a space for states to exercise
voluntary agency and freely choose to join the core. Individual states
may resist this trend, but over the longer term great powers will not
have this option because in order to maintain a high level of performance
they require extensive and routine engagement with more liberal states.
Domestic coalitions reflecting embedded domestic political institutions,
cultural identities and commercial interests will mediate the socialization
pressures generated by the system. Thus a high degree of domestic cultural
and institutional variation is built into the socialization dynamics modelled
by liberal theory. Nevertheless, the system will allow a space for units to
engage in cultural change and punish through cultural selection processes
those that fail to do so. Over time, therefore, a range of systemic forces
encourages the emergence of a growing normative consensus around the
democratic peace. This consolidates the dominance of the system by a
core tending towards liberal cultural norms, thereby further enhancing
reflexivity within the system. The system as a whole begins to snowball
as progressive change gathers historical momentum through the creation
of a self-reinforcing positive feedback loop. This process is illustrated in
Figure 6.1.
It seems plausible to hypothesize that an obvious point of historical
reference for the emergence of a critical mass of liberal democratic states
is provided by the recent collapse of the Soviet Union. Liberalism is distinctively positioned to offer a plausible explanation of this development, and
Increased unit autonomy
(capacity for critical
self-reflection)
Socialization pressures
(internalization, subject
to domestic variation)
Identity construction
(cultural change)
Reinforced structure of
interaction
(strengthened liberal core)
Figure 6.1 Reflexivity in the international system (Part A)
Conclusions
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account for why it may constitute a point of enormous significance for
the pattern of development in world politics. Rather than understanding
the end of the Cold War as an exogenous shock, as prominent neorealists and institutionalists have argued, the Soviet collapse may instead be
understood as reflecting cultural selection processes within the international
environment. In this view, highly illiberal regimes lack flexibility and will
be eliminated as significant actors in long-term competition with more
open societies. This is a systemic argument that does not rest on claims
about the particular political status of Russia as the Soviet Union’s primary
successor state. Instead it posits a transformative logic produced by cultural
processes that are deeply embedded in overall tendencies contained within
the international system. Viewing the Soviet collapse in these terms allows
it to be understood as symptomatic of general forces at work in world
politics rather than being understood as a contingent occurrence reflecting
a peculiar conjunction of forces unique to a particular state at a specific
juncture. It therefore facilitates the incorporation of one of the most
important occurrences in international affairs in the second half of the
twentieth century into a coherent overall picture of global historical change.
Moreover, liberalism is uniquely positioned to identify the wider historical significance of the collapse of the Soviet Union for the subsequent
development of world politics. With the end of the Cold War, the international system may plausibly be viewed as having achieved the extent
of norm convergence required to push it beyond a point of criticality.
Once the tipping point has been reached, the democratic peace begins to
generate powerful socialization effects that will affect great power relations on a global scale. Following Wendt, it is acknowledged that changes
in the cultural structure associated with the achievement of criticality
should be viewed as being multiply realizable. Different combinations of
states that have internalized different cultural norms to different degrees
may realize different cultural structures. There is thus no single a priori
route by which a critical mass of liberal states may be brought into existence. Given difficulties in quantifying precisely the tipping point, a more
sensible approach is to hypothesize the existence of a critical mass and
test the behavioural predictions that this implies against the empirical
record. Indeed, one of the most distinctive and persistently commented
upon features of the post-Cold War order is the replacement of polarity
with a core-periphery formation as its dominant structural feature. In
many parts of the world, such as the Middle East, states tend to diverge
heavily from the norms of the liberal core. However, it remains plausible
in the post-Cold War period to argue that enough great powers approximate to membership of a liberal pacific union to push the system as a
whole beyond criticality. Following this precedent, it becomes reasonable
to pursue the hypothesis that the Soviet collapse does indeed represent
one path on a multiply realizable route to structural change in the international system. This hypothesis is, of course, open to falsification. It
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would only be confirmed if the prediction that the democratic peace has
begun to generate socialization effects can be substantiated with evidence
drawn from empirical trends in post-Cold War international relations.
In Social Theory of International Politics, Wendt proposes that it is
possible that the international system may be in transition from a Lockean
culture organized around the balance of power to a Kantian culture in
which the norms of the democratic peace define the dominant socialization tendency. Wendt’s book already has attracted sustained critical
attention. In a prominent response, Keohane has argued that whilst Wendt
provides a penetrating theoretical framework, his approach fails to connect
theoretical themes with identifiable empirical trends (Keohane 2000: 126).
Wendt responds that the framework he sets out does contain definite
hypotheses of use in framing empirical research. However, he is forced
to concede that his own book ‘does not adduce much empirical evidence’
to support his theoretical claims (Wendt 2000: 174). The applied component of the present study directly addresses the empirical questions raised
by Wendt through a systematic study of the strategies of major states
between 1989 and 1999. Embarking on such an endeavour inevitably
raises methodological questions about the measurement of the theoretical
predictions offered by liberalism. If the democratic peace has replaced the
balance of power as the dominant trajectory of socialization in the international system, there is a need to identify a set of criteria capable of
identifying this empirical trend. It has therefore been proposed that the
socialization pattern envisaged by liberal theory may be compared with
trends that Kapstein and Mastanduno have associated with bandwagoning within a unipolar power structure (Kapstein and Mastanduno 1999;
see also Huntley 1996; Finnemore and Sikkink 1998; Harrison 2001;
Mitchell 2002). Using Unipolar Politics as a template for research design
provides a convenient springboard for the identification of two discrete
and operationalizable points of comparison between these empirical trends.
The first point of similarity between hegemonic bandwagoning and
liberal socialization concerns the general pattern of institutionalized activity
that occurs in the international system. Both trends predict the emergence
of a peaceful structure of great power relations on a global scale. Hegemonic bandwagoning and liberal socialization may be distinguished by
examining the type or quality of institutionalized relations which emerge
between major states. A liberal international system will be characterized
by a more equal structure of great power rights and responsibilities than
within a hegemonic system. Nevertheless, the overall outcome of a peaceful
global structure of great power relationships is common to both trends.
The second point of comparison between liberal socialization and hegemonic bandwagoning concerns the foreign policy adjustments made by
individual states to the collapse of the Soviet Union. In terms of this criterion, both trends envisage that there will be a wide degree of domestic
cultural and institutional variation in the strategies pursued by the major
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powers. In the bandwagoning model, this reflects the weakness of systemic
pressures encouraging balancing, whereas in the liberal model this is viewed
as indicative of an internalization lag during which states are exposed to
systemic pressures encouraging them to engage in cultural change. Thus
examining closely the long-term viability of the foreign-policy adjustments
of major states over the period of post-Cold War transition should provide
an indicator with which to assess the predictions of the liberal model.
The following two sections of the conclusions summarize the empirical
findings of the three cases examined in this study in terms of the two
behavioural indicators specified.
General patterns of institutionalized activity
The Cold War has now been over for more than a decade, providing an
extended time frame in which to test the predictions of general theories
of the international system. If the environment in which major powers
interact with others does significantly affect their behavior, the tendencies
that this is giving rise to ought to be apparent. Indeed, each of the three
theoretical frameworks under assessment is useful in explaining the
dynamics of great power relations during the period under examination.
However, general patterns of institutionalized activity between major states
also pose significant puzzles for both neorealist and institutionalist predictions. Anomalies for neorealism and institutionalism combine to provide
evidence of the type of qualitative shift in the structure of institutionalized great power relationships predicted by liberal theory. Table 6.1
summarizes the findings of the book with respect to this criteria for
measuring change in the post-Cold War international system.
Both neorealism and institutionalism are useful in explaining aspects of
great power activity in the international system that emerged between
1989 and 1999. Neorealism does appear to account for some dimensions
of German strategies. Parts of the process of unification, the recognition
of Slovenia and Croatia, the ERM crisis, and concerns over the EU budget
Table 6.1 General patterns of institutionalized activity
Country
Restructuring of institutionalized activity
Germany
Shift from ‘policy taker’ to ‘policy maker’ role within
NATO and EU (particularly shift to use of force abroad in
support of the former).
Incoherence of Yoshida Doctrine; mounting pressures to
make an independent contribution to major security and
economic regimes.
Engagement of China on the basis of its growing equality of
status with the US and Japan.
Japan
China
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all caused significant tensions with Germany’s major partners. Japan’s
relations with both the United States and China have shown signs of
strain, and this has increased anxieties about security in the East Asia
region. In line with neorealism, China’s rise as a major regional power
has certainly raised alarms about the effects of its revisionism on the
balance of power. Institutionalism also provides a useful lens with which
to examine aspects of the strategies of the three countries. Germany’s
behaviour towards major multilateral frameworks such as NATO, the EU
as well as global economic regimes has certainly been heavily influenced
by functional incentives to engage in cooperation. Japan has participated
in regional multilateral institutions, and its role in major global regimes
can broadly be characterized as supportive. Despite China’s rising capabilities, it has been drawn into at least a tacit acceptance of cooperative
security and economic regimes at both global and regional levels. This
partly reflects the benefits that China stands to accrue through participation in such institutions. It is also the case that some combination of
neorealist and institutionalist explanations may be required to understand
trends within specific issue areas. Coherent accounts of the operation of
the non-proliferation regime in East Asia can be constructed using either
neorealism or institutionalism. Similarly, economic diplomacy between the
major powers is characterized by both high levels of cooperation and also
exhibits concerns over relative gains.
However, the overall pattern of institutionalized activity that has
emerged does not fit well into the predictions offered by neorealism and
institutionalism. Within this debate, neorealists predicted discontinuity in
key multilateral frameworks, and interpret signs of discontinuity as favouring the emergence of a conflictual multipolar international structure. Institutionalists responded to neorealist arguments by anticipating continuity in
the post-War structure of multilateral arrangements between the major
powers. Changes would occur, but these would be of an incremental
nature. East Asia provides a difficult case for institutionalist predictions
in the absence of well-developed patterns of economic and institutional
interdependence. However, following Nye’s assessment of security considerations in the region, institutionalists argued that if the US acts as a benign
hegemon then this could provide a basis for the development of multilateralism. The problem faced by neorealism and institutionalism is that
it is not clear that these models adequately capture the underlying trend.
Contrary to neorealism, trends between 1989 and 1999 appear to have
consolidated a peaceful and cooperative structure of great power relations
at a global level. Contrary to institutionalism, there are signs of discontinuity in the basic structure of relations between the great powers.
Problems for both neorealism and institutionalism are particularly acute in
East Asia, where there are indications that the US security presence may
actually be an obstacle to a peaceful structure of relations between the
major states.
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Between 1989 and 1999 there was evidence of considerable restructuring in general patterns of institutionalized activity between the major
powers across both Europe and East Asia. In a European context, the
most notable shift has been Germany’s attitude towards the use of force
in a non-self-defence capacity. Pressure for change began to mount as far
back as the Gulf War, when Germany was accused of relying upon chequebook diplomacy. In the wake of the Yugoslav crisis, Germany reinterpreted
its constitution so as to allow its armed forces to take part in interventions outside the NATO area. The Yugoslavia crisis further galvanized
the emerging view within the German elite that military contributions
were required to support NATO/UN interventions. By the time of the
Kosovo crisis, Germany accepted a major role in the bombing campaign
during Operation Deliberate Force. This was despite a change in administration from the CDU to an SDP-Green coalition. Moreover, during this
period the US encouraged growing German military involvement in out
of area NATO activities. Although it remained anxious about the potential implications of this shift for the division of responsibilities between
NATO and European institutions, the US appeared to accept the principle that the Cold War status quo on security burden sharing should
alter. Overall, therefore, the first decade of the post-Cold War period led
to important shifts in the division of responsibilities within key multilateral security frameworks on the part of both Germany and America.
The unified Germany also came to play a more active role in the development of European integration than it had done during the Cold War
period. This was as a result of the costs imposed by German unification,
and the constraints imposed on German financial contributions to the EU
by simultaneous enlargement and deepening of integration. The first steps
in this process became apparent in the early 1990s when increases in
German interest rates in the wake of the economic problems posed by
unification caused strains in relations with other European states. By the
latter half of the 1990s, Germany was showing signs of a definite shift
in its attitude towards European integration. In key areas relating to its
budgetary contributions to the EU, Germany had shifted from a policy
taker to a policy maker orientation. This reflected Germany’s concerns
that its disproportionate contribution to the European budget would
become unsustainable if the EU was to expand to the east. Strains between
Germany and France also began to emerge over voting rights and QMV
within the European Council and over issues such as the nationality of
the chair of the European Central Bank. Thus there are indications that
Germany’s increased size and population has upset the traditional post1945 Franco-German entente. However, Germany’s overall commitment
to sponsoring the European integration process increased dramatically
during the 1990s. It is therefore also possible to view the changes that
have taken place as indicating that Germany is increasingly moving towards
equal negotiating status with other major powers within the EU. On this
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account, changes in Germany’s stance reflect a maturing of its relations
with its key European partners that parallels the shift in its relations with
the US within security institutions.
In the case of Japan, elites have been slower to accept changes in the
status quo. Like Germany, Japan adopted a civilian power orientation
during the Cold War, and came under pressure in the wake of the Gulf conflict to make direct military contributions. Yet it has subsequently proved
extremely reluctant to participate even in non-combatant peacekeeping
activities within a UN framework. In 1992 it did alter its constitution so
as to allow SDF participation in these activities, although it did so in the
face of intense external diplomatic pressure. Japan’s National Defense
Planning Outline in 1995 actually made provisions for a significant reduction rather than an increase in Japan’s defence capabilities, indicating an
intention to continue to rely on American security protection. Nevertheless,
the reactive character of the development of Japan’s attitudes with respect
to the use of force abroad is indicative of the incoherence of its stance.
There is a growing consensus that the current structure of US-Japanese security relations is unsustainable. Sheltering Japan under the US security
umbrella discourages it to contribute more to the maintenance of international security, and invites American criticisms of free-riding. A reduction in the US’s defence presence in East Asia therefore would provide a
means of strengthening the Mutual Security relationship. Only in this way
will it be possible to encourage Japan to make a more active military contribution than it does at present. This would require a comprehensive
change in the present structure of US-Japanese security relations. A more
equal structure of rights and responsibilities for maintaining international
security between the two powers represents a more viable and sustainable
option for both countries than attempts to either preserve the current
status quo or pursuit of power balancing.
Japan faces a parallel set of issues in terms of its economic diplomacy.
Over the 1990s Japan continued with an economic strategy that had a
distinctly mercantilist character. It used a variety of economic levers of
statecraft in pursuit of this objective. On trade policy, Japan was slow to
engage in liberalization, and frequently did so only in response to gaitsu.
Japan also used extensive aid donations and its leading role in the Asian
Development Bank to lever open foreign markets for Japanese firms.
However, the inadequacy of this strategy was exposed during the East
Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. The crisis exposed the way in
which linkages between economic and security dimensions of its grand
strategy created tensions for Japanese diplomacy. During the crisis, relations between the US and Japan deteriorated significantly. For Japan, it
exposed the acute vulnerability it faced by remaining dependent on the
US military guarantee for its security. In times of economic difficulty, this
gave America a hugely exaggerated influence over Japan’s economy. For
the US, the crisis revealed the extent to which the security umbrella it
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provides has fostered a passive Japanese political role that favours mercantilist economic priorities. It also highlighted the way that ‘civilian power’
arguments are open to manipulation by domestic elites wishing to present
a benign diplomatic face to the outside world whilst in reality focusing
on narrower nationalist objectives. The effects of the crisis on US-Japan
relations can be understood as reflecting latent conflicts that are resurfacing in the post-Cold War period. In the absence of a clear Soviet threat,
economic priorities are emerging as a potential source of dispute between
the two countries. However, an equally plausible assessment is that the
two countries are being pushed towards a more balanced and mature relationship across a range of economic and security issues. Japan is being
encouraged to adopt a more liberal stance on issues of economic diplomacy, whilst the US is likely to face a Japan that adopts a more active
political role in managing its external relations with key partners.
The engagement of China also appears to be driving considerable restructuring in relationships between the major powers. An engagement strategy
is an important prerequisite to locking China into peaceful relations with
other key actors. However, if engagement is to be successful it is important that it occurs on the basis of broad equality of status between China
and other major states. The continued American defence presence in East
Asia is viewed as threatening by China. Restructuring the US security relationship with Japan and reducing the American military presence in the
region is therefore likely to provide an effective means of enhancing regional
stability. Moreover, assertive behaviour by China should not always be
viewed as arising from aggressive Chinese revisionism. US policy can also
send confusing messages to Beijing and generate a negative reaction, implying that America must also shoulder some responsibility for periods of poor
relations. It is highly plausible, for example, that the 1996 Taiwan Straits
missile crisis was a result of the unclear diplomatic messages sent by an
inexperienced US administration. Inequities in the relationship between the
US and Japan as well as the US and Europe also undermine the effectiveness of engagement because differences between the policies of Western
states generate contradictory sets of incentives and constraints for China.
This also allows it to play different partners off against one another to
achieve its own objectives. This is a particular issue in US-Japan engagement with China, where US diplomacy on human rights and security issues
is frequently undermined by Japanese economic diplomacy. Finally, China
too stands to benefit from promoting its equality of status with other major
powers rather than seeking regional hegemony. By accepting equality with
other major powers, it can more reasonably expect to both reduce the US
security presence in East Asia, and facilitate more consistent treatment by
Western states. It can in this way build the most stable long-term platform
to ensure extensive engagement and sustain continued economic growth.
Across all three cases, it is important to emphasize the complexity of
the linkages that exist between diplomacy on security and economic issues.
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In particular, institutionalists tend to view these components of diplomacy
as discrete when there are actually close connections between them. This
follows logically from the argument that there will be underlying continuity in the structure of post-War relations between the major powers.
The structure of multilateral relations inherited from the Cold War is
skewed heavily in favour of security agreements that are strongly asymmetrical because they presuppose US military hegemony. They therefore
imply a functional division of labour involving horizontal stratification
within the international system. Within this ‘layer cake’ arrangement,
secondary states take on civilian power roles, and specialize in support
systems of governance to manage economic and ecological interdependence. This allows institutionalists to counter structural realist claims about
emerging positional great-power competition. However, this way of
framing the debate over the nature of change in the post-Cold War
international system fails to recognize the possibility that the asymmetrical structure of multilateral frameworks that developed during the Cold
War may actually inhibit the overall development of international cooperation between the major powers. It can encourage Cold War allies to
adopt a passive role and foster dependency on the US. With former Cold
War adversaries, extensive security involvement in key strategic regions
by the US is seen as threatening and complicates the diplomacy underpinning economic engagement. Overall, the dominant trend in the
international system appears to be producing a more symmetrical structure of rights and responsibilities between the great powers across both
security and economic issues. This implies a vertically stratified division
of labour structured around growing functional equality between the
major powers. Moreover, this pattern is apparent in both Europe and
East Asia, despite wide variations in patterns of economic and institutional interdependence across these regions.
In general, there are indications of major discontinuities in the general
pattern of institutionalized activities between the great powers over the
first decade of the post-Cold War period. There are pressures on the US
to reduce the military involvement in Europe and East Asia that it built
up during the Cold War. There are also pressures on secondary states in
these regions to upgrade their contributions to multilateral security and
economic institutions, and also exert their own influence on a more
autonomous basis than in the past. These discontinuities pose anomalies
for institutionalist predictions of continuity in the structure of post-1945
multilateral agreements after the Cold War. However, neither do they
fit well with neorealist hypotheses. While elements of positional greatpower competition are present in the emerging international order, the
dominant tendency actually appears to be towards a qualitative shift
in the density and structure of multilateral relations between the major
powers. This is visible in two pronounced trends. First, patterns of change
in relations between the major powers have been peaceful, and this has
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been the case on a global scale. It has occurred not only in Western
Europe, but critically also this trend is equally well developed in East
Asia. Thus the scope of pacification in great power relations within the
international system has a global geographic extent, operating in all
strategic regions in which there are serious candidates for polar status.
Second, there is a general trend towards growing equality of status between
the major powers within multilateral institutions. This distinguishes the
overall trend observed from bandwagoning within a unipolar power
structure. The US is being encouraged to downgrade its commitments in
key strategic regions, and renegotiate multilateral frameworks between
the other major powers. This is leading to a shift in the structure of
burden-sharing arrangements between the major powers that are affecting
diplomacy on both security and economic issues. Indeed, equalization of
rights and responsibilities in the security arena facilitates a parallel change
in the economic arena because of the dependencies fostered by America’s
military hegemony. Thus the quality or type of institutionalization within
the international system is increasingly symmetrical. Together these two
trends combine to highlight the way in which anomalies for neo-realism
and institutionalism are compatible with the predictions made by liberal
theory.
The causal mechanisms underlying this pattern are broad, and vary across
the continuum from the core to the periphery. There is a powerful range
of material incentives for major states to establish their relations with other
great powers on a peaceful basis. Of the cases examined, China appears to
be responding most heavily to this set of incentives. China simply lacks the
material capabilities to pursue an effective strategy of balancing against the
liberal core, and stands to gain enormously from extensive economic
engagement with them. Alternatively, states can be predisposed towards
voluntarily accepting liberal norms of conduct. Germany appears to fit more
clearly within this pattern of adjustment than Japan. Germany has adopted
a much more pro-active role in restructuring its relations with other major
powers on the basis of growing equality of status. This has been apparent
in both its role in taking on direct military responsibilities for the maintenance of European security, and its shift to a more autonomous contribution to policy debates within the European integration process. It has
probably also been assisted by the way in which on the basis of past
practices German policy elites were heavily inclined to approach global
economic regimes more favourably on questions of economic liberalization.
By contrast, Japan has tended to resist altering the pattern of institutional
commitments that it had built up during the Cold War. It was more inclined
to engage in free-riding in major security and economic regimes, even
when this had the effect of leaving it acutely vulnerable to exploitation
by the US. The reason why Germany has been able to adopt a more
active role in restructuring its multilateral diplomacy is probably to do
with the way in which its preferences during the Cold War were a better
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‘match’ with current trends than those of Japan (Cortell and Davies 2000:
73–81). As a result change has been easier to internalize domestically.
Nevertheless, it seems clear that only the pace of change appears to be
affected by the fit between previous orientation and current trends.
However closely existing strategies match post-Cold War tendencies, all the
major powers analysed were encouraged to adopt significant changes in
their orientation towards multilateralism over the first decade of the postCold War period.
The complexity of institutional dynamics in the post-Cold War international system underscores the insight that the emerging order can be
viewed as a distinctive hybrid that reflects an aggregate composite of many
different trends and tendencies (Buzan 1993; Wendt 1999). Nevertheless,
this should not detract from the way in which a strong underlying trend
emerges from this aggregate that indicates a qualitative shift in general
patterns of institutionalized relations between the major powers. This has
increased the prospects for peaceful change on a global scale, and is
working towards a more equal structure of burden-sharing rights and
responsibilities within the emerging international order. The general trend
observed has been associated with a complex mixture of continuity and
change that poses major anomalies to the predictions of both neorealist
and insistitutionalist theory. By contrast, it is compatible with the ranges
of behaviour associated with the liberal model.
Foreign policy adjustments
Over the first ten years of the post-Cold War period, Germany, Japan and
China each pursued strategies that reflect a distinctive set of strategic preferences. These preferences fall outside of the ranges of behaviour anticipated by either the neorealist or the institutionalist models. Whilst posing
anomalies to established frameworks, this pattern may be understood as
reflecting an ‘internalization lag’ of the kind predicted by liberal theory. The
preferences articulated by the states analysed are summarized in Table 6.2.
The preferences articulated by the unified Germany have been characterized by Anderson and Goodman as reflexively institutionalist. As it
adjusted to the post-Cold War transition, ‘institutions . . . restructured and
remoulded German interests, so that, in the eyes of the German political
Table 6.2 State strategies 1989–1999
State
Strategic preferences
Analyst(s)
Germany
Japan
Reflexively institutionalist
Mercantile realist
China
Identity realist
Anderson and Goodman
Heginbotham and
Samuels
Johnston
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elites, institutional memberships were not merely instruments for policy
but normative frameworks for policy making’ (Anderson and Goodman
1993: 24). Although Anderson and Goodman’s characterization was
developed through an analysis of Germany’s strategies in the initial
post-unification period, it may legitimately be extended to its behaviour
throughout the 1990s. Contrary to neorealism, the united Germany did
not begin to relax its major institutional commitments within NATO and
the European Union. Contrary to institutionalism, Germany’s use of institutions reflected not only instrumental calculations about its interests but
the way in which institutional commitments had reshaped its foreignpolicy preferences. Thus there is evidence to indicate that Germany had
extensively internalized cooperative norms associated with key multilateral institutions within the international system.
Following Heginbotham and Samuels, it is possible to characterize
Japan’s preferences over the 1990s as mercantile realist (Heginbotham and
Samuels 1999). Mercantile realism combines economic nationalism with a
low political profile. Contrary to neorealism, Japan consistently prioritized
techno-economic over politico-military interests, defining its strength in
terms of wealth and technology and its position in terms of its industrial
structure. This has been most notable in its pronounced tendency to continue to free ride on the US for its security over the 1990s, in particular
during the Gulf War and in the 1995 National Defence Planning Outline.
It has also been apparent in its close economic relations with China over
the 1990s, which according to neorealist theory should be a major potential military rival for Japan. Contrary to institutionalism, Japan’s economic
relations with other states have been strongly mercantilist in orientation.
This has been reflected in the character of its aid and investment strategies
in Asian countries, and in its troubled economic relations with Western
economies. In line with mercantile realist behaviour, Japan is cooperating
economically with Asian states with complementary industrial structures
(notably China) whilst balancing against advanced industrialized states.
Thus, as with Germany, the distinctive preferences articulated by Japan over
the 1990s are not compatible with either neorealist or institutionalist predictions. Instead they strongly reflect the influence of domestic economic
and political coalitions built up over the post-1945 period.
Following Johnston, China’s preferences since 1989 may be characterized as identity realist. Identity realism suggests that Chinese leaders believe
that the primary dangers from their security environment come from challenges to the cohesiveness of internal order, and under these circumstances
use realpolitik discourse and behaviour to prop up regime legitimacy
(Johnston 1999). China’s identity realism has its origins in the regimes’
realization in 1989 that pursuit of a strategy of developing interdependent relations with the West as a key to modernization had major domestic
ramifications. In turn this was magnified by the reduction of a direct
external threat to China since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
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As with the other two cases analysed, the preferences articulated by China
over the 1990s are anomalous to both neorealism and institutionalism.
Contrary to neorealism, the intensification of Chinese realpolitik discourse
and behaviour since 1989 has been largely symbolic, and has been tempered
by tacit acknowledgement by the ruling elite that engagement with the
West is necessary to sustain the high growth rates required for continued
regime legitimacy. Contrary to institutionalism, the Chinese elite’s deep
sense of unease with the effects of increased interdependence on its
domestic politics results in foreign policy practices with a strongly realist
orientation. The consequence is an inconsistent mix of motivations underlying Chinese foreign policy that highlight the underlying concern of the
regime with identity rather than its relative or absolute position.
In terms of the content of their strategies, Germany, Japan and China
have responded very differently to the changes that have taken place in
the international system since 1989. However, it remains possible to generalize about the foreign-policy behaviour of these major states over the
1990s. Each of these states has acquired a wide latitude for autonomous
action in the international system. Their distinctive strategic preferences
fall outside the ranges predicted by both neorealism and institutionalism.
This is because of the combined influence of domestic social identities,
economic interests and political institutions on their foreign policies. This
finding conforms to the predictions offered by a liberal model of the international system. As has been stressed, a liberal account of socialization
anticipates a period of lagged adjustment during which states achieve a
wide latitude for independent action. This reflects their increased capacity
for critical self-reflection and cultural change. By extension, however, this
also allows considerable scope for states to articulate a variety of preferences reflecting the influence of domestic coalitions. Neorealists and
institutionalists might object that they could accept that, in particular
instances, the domestic preferences of states might influence their international behaviour. However, three responses may be made to this
argument on the basis of the cases examined. First, these findings apply
in relation to the behaviour of three major states that neorealists have
identified as candidates for polar status within the international system.
Such states ought to find themselves exposed to the full force of pressures
arising from the international system. Second, Germany, Japan and China
operate within radically different circumstances in the sense that there are
wide variations in patterns of interdependence faced by each of the three
states. Yet across all three, domestic preferences have heavily influenced
international behaviour. Third, the cases have been examined over a tenyear time frame. Thus, preferences have been a consistent factor in
influencing foreign policies. It cannot be suggested that, in the cases examined, preferences have influenced foreign policies in an ad hoc fashion.
Rather, they decisively shaped their grand strategies throughout the
1990s. It is difficult for neorealists and institutionalists to suggest that
Conclusions
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these consistent patterns of behaviour across three major states that operate
in very different circumstances represent temporary anomalies to the
patterns of behaviour their theories predict. By contrast, the pattern
observed can be explained with reference to the liberal model.
A further general trend may also be identified in terms of the pattern
of foreign policy adjustments across the three cases. In particular, Germany,
Japan and China each face a major crisis of identity transition in the face
of the changes that have taken place in the international system since
1989. This may be interpreted as reflecting pressures to internalize liberal
norms and engage in cultural change. Germany’s crisis of identity reflects
the way in which, as the 1990s progressed, many of the institutional
commitments that had underpinned its strategies in the past became unsustainable. In the initial period of adjustment between 1989 and 1991,
Germany continued to pursue strategies compatible with the distinctive
orientation that it had developed over the post-1945 period. However,
the institutional commitments this involved have proved impossible for
the unified Germany to maintain. This was felt most acutely in relation
to Germany’s participation in the use of military force outside the NATO
area, and the economic pressures placed on it by the costs of unification
and the further development of European integration. These have raised
fundamental questions about the viability of Germany’s grand strategy
over the 1990s. In redefining its role within NATO and the EU, Germany
has consequently adopted a more active approach to managing its international affairs than in the past. Germany has made major changes in
the way in which it participates in these international institutions, and
this has raised uncomfortable questions about its ‘normalization’ as an
actor. However, through this process of change Germany has actually
strengthened its commitment to multilateralism. By altering the terms of
its participation in international institutions, Germany has increased its
role and functions within these frameworks. Its preference for multilateralism has therefore evolved in a norm-governed fashion. Whilst Germany
has altered the procedures through which it participates in international
institutions, it has done so precisely in order to preserve its normative
commitment to them.
Japan’s predicament mirrors the one facing the unified Germany in the
sense that the distinctive strategies it developed after the Second World
War have proven increasingly inappropriate to its position within the
international system. The preferences that Japan has articulated during
the 1990s reflect the central tenets of the Yoshida Doctrine, originally
developed in the 1950s. As the 1990s progressed, the domestic underpinnings of the Yoshida strategy were rapidly eroded in response to the
changes that have taken place in the international system. Two major
developments made this trend increasingly apparent. The first came in
1993, with the demise of the Liberal Democratic Party as the party of
government for the first time since it was founded in the 1950s. Although
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Conclusions
the proximate cause of this development was electoral reform, the primary
motive force was pressures for Japan to play a more active political role
in the international system. The second came in 1998, when recession
meant that structural problems with Japan’s system of economic management became evident. Taken together, these changes indicate the extent
to which Japan’s mercantile realist strategy is increasingly out of line with
the trajectory of change in the international system. They have therefore
raised questions about the way in which Japan defines its identity as an
actor within the international system. At the root of this crisis is a search
for a legitimate Japanese nationalism and a new, non-exclusively economic
role in the world.
China’s crisis of identity has been reflected directly in the distinctive
foreign policy it has pursued. It follows from Iain Johnston’s analysis that
the Chinese regime’s intensification since 1989 of its ‘realist’ foreign policy
orientation lies at the root of its deep sense of insecurity in the world.
Identity realism is not a coherent reaction to China’s strategic problems
because it is not capable of resolving any of the difficulties it faces in any
structural sense. This is due to the way that China remains dependent on
a high level of engagement with the outside world if it is to ensure its
survival as an important actor in the international system. During the
1990s, China has intensified realist foreign policy discourse and behavior
in response to the threat posed to its political regime by growing interdependence. The initial impetus to this process came after the Tiananmen
Square massacre in 1989, when the Chinese elite first came to realize the
extent of the challenge to its political authority posed by domestic changes
begun in the mid-1970s. However, the relatively benign international
context China has faced since the end of the Cold War is equally important
in explaining China’s realpolitik behaviour. China uses a revisionist foreign
policy orientation to foster internal political cohesion. However unlikely
it seems in the short term that China will adopt a shift in its grand
strategy, its ongoing identity crisis provides evidence that pressures are
mounting for it to do so. Ultimately, if China fails to embrace change,
then this identity crisis threatens to culminate in disintegration arising
from engagement with the West and the impact of globalization on its
domestic political structure.
Many of the pressures for change facing Germany, Japan and China
today have origins that may be traced back to the early 1970s or even
earlier. Debates over Germany’s role in both NATO and the EU took
place prior to the unification. In Japan, the issue of burden sharing and
pressures for economic liberalization may be traced back for decades. In
the case of China, the process of economic and social liberalization that
culminated in pressures for decentralization began as far back as 1976.
However, in all three cases, 1989 to 1991 proved to be a decisive period
of transition. For Germany, the costs imposed by unification and its more
prominent position in the European international system decisively
Conclusions
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constrained its ability to pursue its traditional foreign policy. In the case
of Japan, the end of the Cold War dramatically altered the context in
which it sustained its relations with the US. Specifically, the removal
of the Soviet threat made the principles of the Yoshida Doctrine fundamentally anachronistic. Finally, for China the 1989–1991 period proved
crucial in altering the way that the ruling elite perceived the consequences
of interdependence. Thus although pressures for change were present in
each of the cases examined prior to the end of the Cold War, the
1989–1991 period crystallized their crises of identity transition in each
instance.
Discontinuities arising from these pressures could, of course, be interpreted as reflecting neorealist predictions. In this view, these pressures
reflect latent trends towards a more conflictual multipolar order in which
secondary states adopt a more assertive orientation than has been the case
over the period under examination. However, in each of the three cases it
seems more likely that trends actually reflect the need for these countries
to internalize a more liberal strategic orientation. In the case of Germany,
change has underscored the extent to which elites have internalized the
norms of key multilateral frameworks. In Japan, the need to move away
from the Yoshida strategy reflects pressures to liberalize its economy and
play a more prominent role in burden-sharing arrangements in the security
arena. A lurch in a more genuinely hostile direction by China would risk
severely eroding the domestic political basis of the Chinese elite by stemming economic flows deriving from engagement. China’s crisis of identity
transition in the post-1989 period is intimately bound up with its failure to
abandon its realist foreign-policy. Overall, the pattern of foreign policy
adjustment may be viewed as reflecting the way in which the system as a
whole has achieved reflexivity. Units have acquired wide latitude for independent action that reflects their increased capacity for critical self-reflection and cultural change. The international system therefore can be said to
be in a period of lagged transition in which states internalize liberal norms
through a process of socialization. This cyclical process is summarized
in Figure 6.2.
If it is reasonable to conclude from the foreign-policy adjustments
observed that over the first decade of the post-Cold War transition the
international system has indeed achieved reflexivity, this opens up a
complex set of questions about the nature of the knowledge provided by
this book. It has been argued that achievement of reflexivity is associated
with a shift in the overall trajectory of socialization within the international system away from the balance of power and towards the
democratic peace. This behavioural trend has been identified and measured
in relation to a set of pre-defined empirical criteria. Thus a set of positive social scientific hypotheses has been verified as reflecting a plausible
assessment of the empirical properties of the post-Cold War international
system. The conclusion that the system has achieved reflexivity, however,
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Increased unit autonomy
Germany:
Reflexively institutionalist preferences
Japan:
Mercantile realist preferences
China:
Identity realist preferences
Internalization subject to domestic variation
Identity construction and cultural change
Germany:
Resistance to military role and economic reform
Germany:
Shift from ‘policy-taker’ to ‘policy-maker’ role
Japan:
Resistance to military role and economic reform
Japan:
Pressures to abandon Yoshida Doctrine
China:
Contradictory nature of realpolitik
discourse and behaviour
China:
Engagement and growing equality of status
with Western powers
Strengthened liberal core
Germany:
Deepening participation in multilateralism
Japan:
Need to increase burden-sharing contributions
China:
Need to sustain interdependence
Figure 6.2 Reflexivity in the international system (Part B)
Conclusions
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logically implies that a purely descriptive and explanatory approach cannot
adequately capture what is perhaps its most distinctive historical feature.
As Wendt identifies, once reflexivity exists in a system ‘then collectives
become aware of the social . . . [structures] they are constituting, and
[become able to] move to change them’ (Wendt 1999: 76). Two points
follow logically from Wendt’s assessment of reflexivity. First, the research
embodied in this book must itself be understood as part of the reflexivity
in the international system that it identifies. The knowledge provided about
trends in post-Cold War international relations therefore represents an
explicit and formal social scientific articulation of the very process of critical self-reflection that the study seeks to document. Conversely, the book
must also be viewed as part of the reflexivity that it identifies. If actors
become aware that the system is in a process of transformation, then this
can actively contribute to the pattern of foreign policy adjustments that
is taking place within it. Knowledge about the existence of a permissive
international environment that encourages states to internalize cultural
change may in principle become a powerful input into the self-reinforcing
positive feedback loop that the system embodies. In this way, it may help
create a self-fulfilling prophesy in which the expectation of future change
itself is a major factor in realizing it.
These theoretical issues about the nature and purpose of social scientific enquiry have a very direct impact upon the knowledge contained
within the present study. If the conclusions that have been reached are
that the international system has indeed achieved reflexivity, then it follows
that this study has a very different methodological status to the bulk of
research being conducted within the contemporary field. Like the majority
of research, this study does make a series of positive claims about empirical trends in the international system over the 1989–1999 period.
However, it also explicitly acknowledges that the knowledge it has generated is both a reflection of and contribution to the reflexivity in the
international system it documents. It therefore adopts an overtly critical
orientation that recognizes the way in which social scientific research is
itself constantly drawn into the patterns of behaviour that it seeks to
account for. This point is not a trivial theoretical aside, but rather serves
to draw out fully the significance of the conclusions reached by this study.
As Wendt has recognized, a feature of reflexivity as a property unique to
social systems is that it ‘gives us perspective on our social environment
and . . . opens up the possibility of thinking self-consciously about what
direction to go in’ (Wendt 1999: 375). The dramatic and largely unexpected nature of the changes which have taken place in the international
system since 1989 have opened up fundamental questions about the overall
trajectory of the international system at the turn of the century. In a
remarkably short period, the apparently immutable structure of the superpower conflict disintegrated. After a period of uncertainty, the contours
of the new international order are now becoming discernable. The trends
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Conclusions
that are becoming apparent provide good reasons to believe that the
emerging international system is in the midst of a historic process of transformation. Under these circumstances, critical thinking takes on heightened
historical significance. Powerful background forces that are at work within
it will foster transformation regardless of the foreign policy adjustments
made by any individual great power. However, the speed of change will
very much depend on how aware key actors are of emerging trends, and
the extent to which they are able to incorporate this knowledge into their
grand strategies. Thinking differently about international relations after
the Cold War may itself contribute knowledge that plays an important
role in facilitating the historic transition taking place in the emerging
international order.
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Postscript
September 11, 2001 and its
aftermath
Since 1999 the international system has been rocked by a series of major
global crises that have arguably been on a scale not witnessed during the
first ten years that followed the Cold War. The attacks launched on New
York and Washington on September 11, 2001 were closely followed by
American dominated military campaigns directed at regime change in
both Afghanistan and Iraq. Developments such as these inevitably have
important consequences for an analysis of the shape of the emerging international order, and it is therefore appropriate to reflect upon their
significance for the nature of post-Cold War international change. The
methodological constraints faced in analysing the post-1999 period are
even greater than those raised in examining the first decade of the postCold War transition. The aim, therefore, is not to provide a comprehensive
extension of the framework for the book to the period after 1999. Instead,
some preliminary reflections are offered on the implications of recent
events for global trends. A brief summary of the series of crises that have
occurred in world politics in the period since 1999 is first provided. The
extent to which the underlying causes of the September 11 attacks can
be understood with reference to conventional accounts of the international
system is then considered. The scale and unexpected nature of the systemic
shock posed by the attacks has raised parallels with the events surrounding
the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is therefore appropriate to debate the
extent to which it may be legitimate to understand September 11, 2001
in similar terms to the end of the Cold War. The implications of developments since 1999 for the character of the emerging international system
are also discussed. The events of September 11, 2001 and their aftermath
have generated important questions about whether the great power bandwagoning trend that characterized the initial decade of post-Cold War
adjustment is sustainable. Arguably recent developments reflect a shift
back towards international instability and great power balancing that
have long been anticipated by neorealists. The extent to which the apparent
breakdown of great power bandwagoning can be understood as reflecting neorealist predictions about the emerging post-Cold War order will
therefore be examined.
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September 11, 2001 and its aftermath
In the period immediately after September 11, 2001, commentators were
quick to note that the crisis constituted the first large-scale direct attack on
the homeland of the United States since the Japanese bombing of Pearl
Harbor in 1941. For this reason alone, there is a strong prima facie case
for its immediate strategic significance for all the major powers and the
international system being directly comparable to a development on the
scale of the collapse of the Soviet empire. Furthermore, the events of
September 11, 2001 were followed by a series of other major international
developments. In responding to the attacks, the US and its allies launched
a large-scale military intervention aimed at toppling the rule of the Taliban
in Afghanistan. By spring of 2002 this had been achieved, although in pursuing its aims the US also relied significantly on local resistance. Unlike the
1991 Gulf War, the Afghanistan intervention was not carried out under the
auspices of a United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing action
against an identified threat to international peace and security. The US did
achieve an important string of UNSC resolutions condemning terrorism.
However, within international law the US justified its actions in terms of
self-defence in the face of a perceived act of aggression. In an unprecedented
step, NATO invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty in response to
9/11, despite the way in which the attack was on the US homeland rather
than on Western Europe. Again, however, the US preferred to act outside
multilateral frameworks by assembling a ‘coalition of the willing’. The
year 2003 saw a third major international crisis, with the US pursuing
a policy of ‘pre-emptive’ intervention and regime change in order to depose
Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq. Again, this US-led military intervention
proved successful in achieving its immediate military objectives in a remarkably short period of time. In contrast to its intervention in Afghanistan,
the US attempted to seek approval for its actions from the UN Security
Council. However, the threat of permanent member veto from France
ultimately forestalled the attempt to reassemble the UN coalition formed
in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1991. The US justified its
2003 intervention in Iraq in terms of alleged attempts by Saddam Hussein’s
regime to acquire nuclear and broader weapons of mass destruction
capabilities, rather than the threat posed by international terrorism and
the Al-Queda network. Senior US officials made attempts to link international terrorism with the issue of WMD proliferation. However, it is
open to debate whether the intervention in Iraq would have taken place
regardless of whether September 11 had occurred. A case could be made
that the George W. Bush presidency was committed to a policy of regime
change in Iraq prior to the terrorist attacks. It is certainly possible that the
September 11 attacks actually delayed any potential plans for action on
the Iraq question.
One major set of questions raised by September 11 relates to the underlying causes of the attacks. Due to the magnitude and unexpected nature
of the crisis, 9/11 has been compared by some experts directly to the end
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of the Cold War, not only in the sense that it provided a major global
shock to which all significant actors would have to respond, but also
more fundamentally in that it has challenged core conceptions about how
the international system operates. On such an account, September 11 has
heralded a new era of world politics in which the basic principles that
had previously been taken for granted about its operation altered dramatically. In the case of September 11, however, there are good reasons to
be sceptical about whether the attacks did represent a new category of
events. In stark contrast to the peaceful end of the Cold War, the events
of September 11 followed a very old and familiar pattern that is entirely
compatible with well-established conceptions of international relations. In
particular, they may be viewed as reflecting a response to the residual
elements of unipolarity that remain a significant feature of the post-Cold
War international system. Notwithstanding widespread claims of the ‘new
world order’ ushered in by 9/11, students of international relations have
long been aware that one of the most fundamental features of the
international system is that it is inherently anti-hegemonial. The US seems
very likely to have been attacked because since the Gulf War it has
stationed large numbers of troops in the Middle East to ensure Kuwait’s
independence and protect its perceived regional security interests. This
has, unsurprisingly, been intensely controversial and has led many local
actors in the region to view America as an aggressive and imperial
power. There is a dramatic contrast between this pattern and the events
surrounding the end of the Cold War. The disintegration of the Soviet
Union is much less amenable to a conventional system-level explanation.
Prominent structural realists, including Waltz himself, have explicitly
accepted that this development is best understood as a domestic collapse
with purely unit level origins. Of course, the end of the Cold War may
be viewed as a consequence of the relative decline of the Soviet empire
under the weight of imperial overstretch. However, it has long been recognized by realists that this explanation faces the anomaly posed by the
peaceful character of the 1989–1991 transition (Wohlforth 1995). Thus
the events of 9/11 are qualitatively different from those surrounding the
end of the Cold War in the sense that only the causes of the former are
broadly compatible with conventional accounts of the international system.
Moreover, on close inspection September 11, 2001 represents nothing
like the kind of predictive failure posed by the Soviet collapse. Dramatic
though the events of September 11 were, the real question they have raised
is how and why so many analysts failed to apply one of the most basic
principles of history to the emerging international order. Writing in 1999,
Kapstein and Mastanduno were confident enough to argue that American
hegemony remained largely unchallenged for the foreseeable future. Thus
although one could envisage threats to America on the horizon, such as
Islamic fundamentalism, ‘presumably . . . [such threats] would test other
countries as much if not more than the United States’ (Kapstein and
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September 11, 2001 and its aftermath
Mastanduno 1999: 22). The September 11 attacks have exposed the limits
of this benign assessment of America’s global reach. They ought to have
reminded students of international relations of a lesson that the end of
the Cold War perhaps made them forget. What is anomalous to the
emerging order is less the September 11 attacks, and more the continued
American dominance in the international system that tended to prevail
over the 1990s. Other commentators have, however, been less sanguine
about the consequences of unipolarity. It is relatively straightforward to
find references in the extant literature maintaining that a direct terrorist
attack on the US homeland of the sort that occurred on September 11
was a distinct possibility. By contrast, the end of the Cold War was
genuinely and universally unanticipated. Even the most careful search of
the available literature prior to the late 1980s would not reveal a single
prediction of the imminent demise of the Soviet empire. Thus whilst it is
trivially true to note that both September 11 and the end of the Cold
War presented major predictive failures for the majority of analysts and
commentators, the deeper and more interesting issue is whether these
developments fall into the broad ranges of behaviour that may be associated with established conceptions of the international system. In the case
of the former event, there are clear precedents in established debates within
the field. With the latter development, this is not so. It is therefore much
more persuasive to argue that the end of the Cold War rather than
September 11 presents a fundamental challenge to the way in which the
long-term dynamics of the international system are conceptualized.
The consequences of September 11, 2001 and its aftermath for the international system has also generated considerable debate. In particular, these
developments have placed enormous pressures on the bandwagoning trend
that classical realists have argued has characterized the structure of great
power relations since the end of the Cold War. In different ways, September
11, the Afghanistan intervention, and the invasion of Iraq have all exposed
the latent contradictions and problems for the US in attempting to maintain its unipolar status. In the initial wake of September 11, the responses
of the major powers appeared to fit remarkably well into the analytical
framework put forward by Kapstein and Mastanduno. In managing the
crisis, all the major states bandwagoned with the US whilst maintaining
some capacity for independent action. The US took the lead in providing
a direct military response in Afghanistan, with states in Europe and to
a lesser extent Japan playing a supportive role. Most remarkably of
all, Russia and China accepted direct intervention by the US in an area
they both consider their sphere of influence. NATO did suffer a major
setback when the US declined to respond to 9/11 under Article 5 of the
Washington Treaty, despite the unprecedented nature of its invocation.
Nevertheless, if viewed as a statement of diplomatic support by the
European members of NATO for the US rather than a firm military
commitment, this development too may be viewed as a form of band-
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wagoning. Neorealists, however, have remained sceptical about the
prospects of maintaining a broad international consensus in tackling such
a wide-ranging and complex issue as ‘international terrorism’. Kenneth
Waltz observed in the period immediately after 9/11 that although the
US-led coalition was a mile wide it was only an inch deep (Waltz 2002).
Indeed, within a year of the Afghanistan intervention, US pre-emptive
action in Iraq led to extremely divisive disputes between the major powers
over the management of the non-proliferation regime.
The latest intervention in Iraq has highlighted the way in which by
maintaining its vastly superior military capabilities, the US encourages
serious conflicts of interest to emerge between it and other secondary
states. In his recent and influential book, Robert Kagan refers to the
existence of a ‘power divide’ between the US and other countries. He
argues that divisions between the US and European countries over how
the Iraq crisis was managed do not reflect a lack of diplomatic skill or
competence on either side of the Atlantic. Instead, they are symptomatic
of differences in power between the US and other major actors in the
international system. The US defines threats very differently to European
states partly because of its uniquely vulnerable position as the world’s
hegemon, and partly because as hegemon it has the capabilities to use
military force to counter these threats (Kagan 2003). The salience of
these arguments in the period since 9/11 has decreased the relevance
of Kapstein and Mastanduno’s argument about the bandwagoning trend
that apparently characterized the international system since the end of the
Cold War. Conversely, Kagan’s analysis has made a major impact on
current debates because it strongly echoes the logic of structural realist
theory. Kagan’s book was directed at the broader policy-making rather
than at an academic audience. However, readers with even a cursory
familiarity with the available theoretical literature will immediately recognize that Kagan’s analysis fits well with neorealist predictions. Like the
neorealists, Kagan acknowledges the way in which unipolarity generates
structural conflicts of interest between the US and other major states.
Thus a neorealist assessment of the nature of the emerging post-Cold
War order has gained some currency as a consequence of the major developments that have occurred in the international system in the period
since 1999.
If hegemonic bandwagoning is proving unsustainable, an alternative and
more optimistic scenario for the future might be offered by institutionalist
theory. The logic of institutionalist arguments would tend to indicate that
the risk of hegemonic decline and overstretch which is intrinsic to the
US’s unipolar status will, at least over the longer term, encourage it to rely
heavily on multilateralism. This theoretical perspective relies on rational
choice methodology and a functional logic of cooperation. On the issue
of international terrorism, institutionalist logic would identify that the
threat posed by terrorist networks is not only potentially very great for
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the US, but that use of military power alone is likely to provide a very
crude instrument in tackling the problem. To deal with international
terrorist activities effectively, the US will need to cooperate heavily with
other actors on a wide range of issues connected to low politics such as
immigration, policing, and the pooling of intelligence. In the case of unilateralism and pre-emptive intervention, institutionalists might identify the
long-term costs for the US associated with consistently behaving in this
way. Such actions are likely to generate what Keohane terms a ‘boomerang
effect’ in which the US is subsequently encouraged to return to multilateral
channels and instruments to achieve its goals, or sets precedents that it
subsequently finds costly or awkward when dealing with other situations
(Keohane 2002). Thus a ‘shadow of the future’ may emerge in which the
hegemon has long-term incentives to restrain its behaviour so that it
can then encourage and demand reciprocity in the future from others.
Overall, institutionalism is more optimistic about the prospects for a
stable international order, with the post-1945 system of multilateral institutions being the key to maintaining this stability. East Asia’s short history
of multilateralism and poorly developed structure of international interdependence arguably remains vulnerable to the resurgence of great power
rivalries and conflicts. However, to date the ‘war against terrorism’ has
had Central Asia rather than East Asia as its key focus, and major powers
such as China and Russia have strong domestic incentives to be reluctant
in directly sponsoring terrorist activities directed at the US, at least in
the short to medium term. The issue of nuclear proliferation, of course, is
much more problematic in the East Asian context, especially with respect
to North Korea but also including China and potentially Japan. Nevertheless, institutionalists could offer a more optimistic scenario for the
post-9/11 world based on their arguments about the costs of system management for the hegemon, and the long-term advantages for it in utilizing
multilateral diplomacy.
Arguably, however, the difficulties faced by the US run much deeper
than the functional logic utilized by institutionalist theory indicates. In
his influential book Myths of Empire, Jack Snyder attempts to integrate
domestic and systemic levels of analysis to explain why it is that historically over-extension has been much more common for hegemonic powers
than under-extension and appeasement (Snyder 1991). His ideas may be
suggestive in probing the more fundamental implications for American
foreign policy of the events of September 11, 2001 and their aftermath.
According to Snyder there is no a priori reason to suppose that systemic
factors can explain the tendency of powerful states to over- rather than
under-deploy their resources given that territorial expansion can often be
counter-productive and actually decrease the security of a state. In order
to explain the tendency to over-expand, he proposes that the domestic
political context and the role of ideas in the foreign policy process must
be considered. Political elites under pressure to consolidate their own
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internal power-base often unintentionally initiate a complex process of
domestic institutional logrolling in which they make rhetorical commitments that play up the risk posed by external threats to foster national
cohesion and solidarity. This ‘myth of empire’ subsequently spirals out of
control of the ruling elite due to the activities of parochial imperialist and
military lobby groups that are able to hijack the state. Eventually the state
elite even comes to believe its propaganda through unintended consequences generated by commitments that were initially purely rhetorical.
The result of this complex interaction of domestic institutional and international political dynamics is that the state in question eventually comes
to find itself seriously over-committed abroad. The political rhetoric
emphasizing external threats generates ‘blowback’ for the ruling elite by
initiating a process leading to severe over-extension. Snyder’s argument is
a classical (or ‘neoclassical’) realist one which draws upon the role of
domestic politics and the role of ideas in the policy-making process to
refine neorealism’s failure to explain the frequency of over-extension.
However, it is possible to extend this argument a stage further than Snyder
himself has done by moving beyond classical realism’s attempt to supplement structural realist theory. This may be achieved by locating the origins
of blowback and over-extension not just in a domestic institutional context
emphasizing the role played by political myths and logrolling, but in a
domestic identity transition undergone by the state arising from the interaction between domestic and international politics. This line of inquiry
serves to further underscore the affinities that exist between the classical/
neoclassical realist literature and insights drawn from systemic liberal
theory.
Chalmers Johnson has provided an account of American foreign policy
compatible with such a perspective (Johnson 2002). He argues that the
foreign-policy dilemmas currently faced by the US are not the inevitable
consequence of its material preponderance. Instead they reflect the failure
of the US elite to adjust their foreign-policy goals in fundamental ways to
reflect the end of the Cold War. Thus the underlying causes of the current
war on terrorism as well as the increased stress on unilateralism and preemptive intervention actually stem from the long-term fall out generated by
the collapse of the Soviet Union. Specifically, the US did not use the opportunity presented by the Soviet collapse to scale back the global military presence it has developed since 1945 during its struggle with the Soviet Union.
According to Johnson, continuation of a Cold War defence posture in a
post-Cold War world has resulted in the US today facing severe ‘blowback’
arising from the way in which attempts to shore up its national security
interests are increasingly counter-productive. Blowback shares family
resemblances with imperial overstretch, but its effects are likely to be
more acute because they will be associated with a powerful backlash in
the international system. In the blowback scenario, the declining hegemon
does not attempt to adjust to its declining power but instead responds
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to this situation by seeking to consolidate an exploitive hegemony. A classic example of blowback in action is, of course, the September 2001 attacks.
Johnson can legitimately lay a claim to being one of the few commentators
who identified that a major terrorist attack on the US homeland was to be
expected when his book was first published in 2000. He also recognized,
prior to the emergence of the George W. Bush presidency, the difficulties
that America’s overwhelming military superiority posed for US engagement
with both former Cold War allies and adversaries alike (Harrison 2004).
Johnson concludes that in the opening years of the twenty-first century the
US is likely to face severe blowback arising from its decision to maintain a
Cold War defence posture in the post-Cold War world. He therefore concurs with the logic of Snyder’s position that over-extension is more likely
to be a problem for the world’s remaining superpower than the risk of
under-extension. However, Johnson does not see this issue as simply a result
of domestic institutional logrolling. Rather, the situation reflects a broader
crisis of national purpose arising from the legacy of the end of the Cold
War. Johnson’s account of dilemmas in US foreign relations therefore provides a much more voluntarist assessment of the recent series of international crises the country has faced than that offered by commentators,
who assume that America’s current dilemmas have resulted simply from its
position as the world’s sole remaining superpower. To Johnson, its predicament ultimately arises from the very specific way that the US foreign-policy
establishment has chosen to respond to the enormous latitude for action
that the US has acquired in the post-Cold War world.
Johnson’s assessment of the dilemmas facing US foreign policy is one
which is compatible with an instance of failed learning within the systemic
version of liberal theory that has been operationalized in this book. Johnson
does not believe that a logic of violent conflict is an inevitable feature of
the post-Cold War world. Instead, instability arises from blowback and
is the product of a series of strategic choices made by the US since the
end of the Cold War. Johnson is not necessarily a revisionist who believes
that everything the US has done internationally since 1945 has been fundamentally flawed. Rather he believes that the Cold War has distorted the
foreign-policy making process in the US, and that America needs to recover
a sense of perspective in its foreign policy in the post-Cold War world.
If it does so, it may come to recognize that it could achieve much more
to promote global stability and prosperity if it did much less in terms of
global ‘engagement’. Alliances and structures of multilateral cooperation
between the US and other major powers would be much healthier if they
are predicated on the basis of greater equality of status rather than being
asymmetrically organized, and this would also enhance the prospects of
the peaceful integration of Russia and China into the international system.
This would, of course, require a major reduction in the US forward military
deployments in both Europe and Asia. Moreover Johnson’s voluntarism
and his stress on the importance of the strategic choices made by the US
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may be understood as indicative of the way in which reflexivity has become
a pervasive feature of the post-Cold War international system. Once the
system has achieved reflexivity, a permissive space is opened up in which
actors achieve a heightened capacity for critical self-reflection and cultural
change. What individual actors do with this space is largely a matter for
choice, and this allows for and even systemically generates scope for
instances of failed learning. There is no reason to expect that the US
should have any less difficulty in adjusting to the post-Cold War world
than Germany, Japan or China, each of which have felt enormously the
strains of this external shock on their domestic political systems. Like
these other major powers, domestic political inertia has led the US to seek
to adjust to the end of the Cold War by broadly continuing the defence
strategies it pursued prior to 1989. However, it too is finding that the
new international context is very different and that this has major implications not just for its grand strategy, but also for the organization of its
domestic political system.
Johnson remains profoundly sceptical about the prospects for a stable
international order in the opening years of the twenty-first century, which
he asserts will be defined by a reaction against America’s imperial presence. In this sense there is a different emphasis from the relatively optimistic
scenario for a peaceful and liberal international order centred on the democratic peace presented in the present volume. To accommodate this research
by Cederman into the possibility of both ‘maturity effects’ and ‘epochal
effects’ their role in the spread of the democratic peace should be considered (Cederman 2001). Cederman has argued that the democratic peace
is best understood as a macro-historical learning process rather than a
static historical condition. Maturity effects reflect a growth in socialization pressures and increased momentum within the international system,
and are associated with a period of accelerated learning and cultural
change. Epochal effects allow for dialectical reversals and periods of slowed
historical progress that are caused by failed learning and reactions against
the overall macro-historical trends. Interestingly, the concept of reflexivity
allows for the possibility that maturity effects and epochal effects may
actually operate in tandem within one another during the same historical
juncture. Once the international system has achieved reflexivity, the norm
cascade produced opens up space for actors to voluntarily accept cultural
change. Since this critical space is a permissive one, failed learning is also
a systematic possibility and this may stall the overall pace of historical
progress. Nevertheless, considerable systemic pressures exist for the state
engaging in failed learning to adopt changes in their identity. In the case
of the US, this may take the form of the effects of blowback and overstretch generated by the attempt to maintain its global military hegemony.
As long as this blowback does not result in a general collapse of the international system, there remains considerable latitude for the actor involved
to adjust its foreign policy. Indeed, the US is a relatively open and liberal
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society that over the long term probably has the domestic flexibility to
adjust to the demands on its political institutions generated by blowback
and the associated systemic constraints on its foreign policy. Once blowback has taken its toll on the ability of the US to maintain its global
hegemony, therefore, the progressive underlying dynamic may begin to
operate again with full force, and even gather further momentum.
Of course, it remains distinctly possible that the US will not suffer severe
blowback from pursuit of its hegemonic post-Cold War grand strategy. If
reliance upon benign diplomatic engagement is breaking down, the US may
instead simply draw upon its sheer military and material dominance in the
international system to maintain its primacy. Indeed, if anything, events
since September 2001 have been interpreted by most commentators as
reflecting a period of untrammelled American superiority within the international system. Paul Kennedy, who famously identified a post-War trend
towards America’s relative decline in the late 1980s, has now openly conceded that his assessment at that time should now be revised (Kennedy
2002). Writing in the Financial Times in February 2002, Kennedy has
expressed the extent to which he was impressed at the ability of the US to
project its military power to respond effectively to the challenge posed by
the Al-Queda attacks. In its response to the 9/11 attacks in Afghanistan,
the US had demonstrated an incredible, and historically unprecedented,
capacity to use its power resources to effectively police the international
system whilst drawing on diplomatic support by secondary powers in
Europe and Asia which was at best of token significance. The theoretical
logic underpinning Kennedy’s new assessment of world politics strongly
reflects William Wohlforth’s modified structural realist argument about the
stability of a unipolar world, and indeed this perspective has become
increasingly fashionable (Wohlforth 1999). Nevertheless, whilst it has
gained in purchase in the wake of recent developments, at the very least it
is important to recognize that this theoretical stance presents an extremely
bold empirical prediction. Historically, no hegemon has ever proved
capable of maintaining its dominant position in the international system
indefinitely. Moreover, ironically Wohlforth’s argument about unipolarity
has gained widespread popularity in the aftermath of the September 11
attacks despite the way in which it is difficult to imagine a more vivid
symbol of the fragility of America’s primacy than the collapse of the
twin World Trade Center towers captured live on all the major global
television networks. For the foreseeable future, the US will remain
extremely exposed to such attacks. Despite and perhaps even because of the
doctrine of pre-emption now being pursued by the US, these attacks may
well in future involve weapons of mass destruction. The domestic and international costs associated with taking counter-measures to deal with
international terrorist threats will also surely impact on the ability of the
US to maintain its global position in future. Arguments for the stability of
unipolarity such as those provided by Kennedy and Wohlforth are
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147
therefore questionable, and open to the charge that they too heavily
discount short-term US military successes over the longer-term domestic
and international difficulties that are likely to be faced in sustaining this
strategy.
Ironically, this argument has actually been made with reference to the
post-9/11 world by none other than Paul Kennedy himself. Writing in the
immediate wake of the September 2001 attacks rather than in the triumphal
period that followed US intervention in Afghanistan, Kennedy’s assessment
of America’s place in the emerging international system was much less
sanguine. Indeed, the conclusions of his contribution to a prominent collection of essays discussing the strategic implications of the new ‘age of terror’
express sentiments that capture clearly the long-term necessity for the US
to begin to reflect in more fundamental ways on its current grand strategy.
The ultimate question raised by 9/11, Kennedy suggested, may be that
the strategy of America preserving its ‘Number 1’ status is itself called
into doubt:
what if a younger generation of Americans . . . favour the diffusion of
power and responsibility and burden, and a voluntary alteration of
America’s role from being the hegemonic policeman to being the senior
partner in a world of democratic states that work out global problems
through shared international structures and policies? This sounds fanciful in our present age of terror and war . . . [but] even those Americans
hostile to the very notion of sharing global power and of the US becoming a ‘normal’ country may sooner or later have to accept that it is
unavoidable, and is in fact going to happen anyway because of the very
sort of liberal and open society we are. The terrorists threat, committed within our own borders though planned from thousands of miles
away, has shown that we need the rest of the world and cannot ignore
it. We cannot ignore making diplomatic compromises, and we can no
longer shun or scorn international organisations. Above all, we cannot
stop long term shifts in economic and strategic balances, because by
our social and economic policies we are the very artificers of those
future changes. . . . Whether we accept that transformation gracefully
and manage the relative change in America’s world position with
adroitness – or instead, resent and combat this secular trend, insisting
that the US is exceptional – may be the biggest strategic question of all.
(Kennedy 2001: 77–78)
Kennedy continued by recognizing that for the present time the US probably does have the resources to effectively manage the international system
using its primacy, and thus these issues are not yet at the forefront of current debate. Yet it does seem significant that so prominent a proponent of
hegemonic stability theory is prepared to recognize the longer term possibility – and indeed inevitability – of alternative futures.
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If the events of September 11, 2001 have underscored one salient feature
of the post-Cold War international system it is the chronic uncertainty that
plagues understandings of the world that has been emerging since 1989.
Ultimately, even specialists cannot be sure of what the future will bring and
what the underlying trend in international relations will be. It does seem,
at least for the time being, as though the bandwagoning pattern that classical realists identified as characterizing the first decade of the post-Cold
War transition is breaking down. If so, the US may be moving towards
relying less on benign perceptions of its power, and more on its sheer material dominance to regulate the international system. If it is successful in
pursuit of such a strategy, then perhaps the theoretical position adopted by
Wohlforth may prove tenable. Alternatively, it may transpire that the neorealists were correct in the pessimistic predictions about the future of the
international system that they made in the initial period after the euphoria
surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall. Given the overwhelmingly conflictual nature of international history and the demonstrated tendency of the
modern Westphalian system to collapse into unstable multipolarity and
neorealist-style great power balancing, this bleak future for world politics
would surely not be entirely surprising. However, it is also possible that the
breakdown of hegemonic bandwagoning may simply be indicative of the
way in which the least stable features of the post-Cold War international
system have been precisely those elements that have been unduly supported
by unipolarity, and the most stable elements those predicated on a broadbased system of great-power concert. Conducting its international diplomacy from a position of superior military strength, however benign in intent
this may be, was never likely to provide an effective long-term platform for
the development of a coherent post-Cold War grand strategy by the US.
Alliances founded on inequality may endure for a period and even consolidate, but sooner or later both the disproportionate costs and risks of such
a strategy for the hegemon and the problems this generates for the states
that are the object of US ‘engagement’ will surface. This will tend to produce transitional difficulties within the international system and lead
to a period of restructuring of great-power rights and responsibilities. Yet
if the international order proves able to survive such a period without a
major-power war occurring, then it may conceivably emerge as more robust
and mature as a result of this process of change. Precisely what the future
holds nobody can truly be certain. As professional social scientists, international relations scholars have a responsibility to apply their theoretical
models and predictions to the patterns that are emerging. They also need
to remain open-minded about how the evidence fits their theoretical frameworks. Only if these professional obligations are fulfilled will researchers
truly be able to capitalize on major opportunities offered by unfolding the
‘real world laboratory’ that continues to confront them.
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Wendt, A.E. (1987) ‘The Agent-Structure Problem in International Relations
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Wendt, A.E. (1992) ‘Anarchy is What States Make of it: The Social Construction
of Power Politics’. International Organisation 46: 391–425.
Wendt, A.E. (1999) Social Theory of International Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge
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Wendt, A.E. (2000) ‘A Response to my Critics’. Review of International Studies
26: 165–180.
Wendt, A.E., R.L. Jefferson and P.J. Katzenstein (1996) ‘Norms, Identity and
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Wohlforth W. (1995) ‘Realism and the End of the Cold War’. In M.E. Brown,
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D.S.G. Goodman and G. Segal (eds) China Rising: Nationalism and Interdependence pp. 6–26. London: Routledge.
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ADB see Asian Development Bank
Afghanistan 25, 137, 138, 140, 141,
146, 147
Africa 95
Akaha, T. 74
Alderson, K. 13
Al-Queda 138, 146
Amsterdam IGC 54, 59
anarchy 7–8, 10, 11, 13, 28–49, 116,
118
Anderson, J.J. 61–2, 65, 66, 68, 128–9
APEC see Asia Pacific Economic
Co-operation
appeasement 142–4
Arase, D. 76
ASEAN see Association of South East
Asian Nations
ASEM see Asia-Europe Meeting
Asia-Europe Meeting 78
Asian Development Bank 75, 80, 124
Asian Monetary Fund 72
Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation
72, 77, 78, 100
Association of South East Asian Nations
73; Regional Forum 77, 98–9
Austin, G. 104
Australia 96
balance of power 1, 10, 12, 15, 20,
30, 31, 43, 112, 116, 117, 118, 120,
137
bandwagoning 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
21, 46, 120–1, 127, 137, 140–1,
148
Baumann, R. 66
Berger, T.U. 88–9
Berlin Wall 1, 148
Bernstein, R. 92, 93
Bertram, C. 67
Beylerian, O. 105
bipolarity see polarity
blowback 143–4, 145–6
Bosnia 52, 53, 58
Britain, Anglo-Dutch conflict 31; ERM
55; German reunification 51, 57;
Gulf War 52; nineteenth-century 6
Brussels summit (1994) 55
Bulmer, S.J. 64
burden sharing 20–1
Bush, George W. 138, 144
Buzan, B. 19–20, 31, 43, 46, 72, 80,
86, 88, 92
Cambodia 52, 74, 95
Canivet, C. 105
Carpenter, T.G. 99
Carr, E.H. 12
Cederman, L.E. 145
CFE (Treaty) see Conventional Forces
in Europe Treaty
China 5, 9; Afghanistan 140; Africa
95; air force 80, 92; APEC 100;
ARF 77, 98–9; ASEAN 73; Belgrade
embassy bombed 95; Cambodia 95;
Cold War ends 145; Communist
ideology 101–2; Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty 99, 105; cultural life
100–6; defence expenditure 92;
Diaoyo/Senkaku islands 73, 94;
domestic variation 100–6; East Asian
financial crisis 99; East Timor 96;
economy 91, 101, 132; European
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investment 97; foreign policy
(1989–99) 91–111, 128–36; GATT
96, 99–100; GDP 92; Gulf War 93;
Hong Kong 94, 98, 104, 109–10;
human rights 93, 96, 97; identity
realism 102–4, 129; identity
transition 131–3; IMF 99; India 95;
Inner Mongolia disturbances 102;
institutionalized activity 121;
interdependence 91, 97, 108, 132,
133; Iran 96; Japan 71, 73, 77, 80,
81, 85, 86, 87, 93–4, 97, 98, 104,
122, 129; Khmer Rouge 95; Korean
unification 105; Kosovo 95–6; Law
on Territorial Waters and their
Contiguous Areas 94; Macao 94;
major powers and 127; Mischief
Reef 74, 94; modernization 91,
101; Most Favoured Nation status
96, 97; MTCR 96, 99; multipolarity
51; nationalism 101–2; navy 73,
80, 92; neoconservatism 108–9;
Non-Proliferation Treaty 96, 99;
and North Korea 93; nuclear
programme 73, 94, 96, 99, 142;
Pakistan 95, 96; Paracel and
Spratly Islands 73, 94, 98, 104;
peaceful integration 144–5; PLA 92,
101; political choices 106–11;
Russia 95; sanctions against 80, 93;
Saudi Arabia 96; socialization 107;
South China Sea 104; Soviet Union
92, 129; Syria 96; Taiwan 93, 94,
98, 100, 104, 105, 109; Taiwan
Straits crisis (1996) 110, 125;
Tiananmen Square 80, 91, 93, 95,
102, 103, 108, 132; Tibet
disturbances 102; UN 93, 95;
United States 6, 17, 41, 74, 79, 85,
93, 96, 100, 125; World Bank 99;
WTO 96, 99–100, 109; Xinjiang
disturbances 102
Clark, I. 115
Clinton, Bill 54, 72, 97
Cold War, end of 1, 2, 3–4, 15, 18,
21, 41, 45, 103, 112, 113–21, 137,
138–9, 140, 143–5; defined 3
collective security 12
Communism 101–2
167
competition 30–2, 38–9, 43
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty 99,
105
Conference on Security and
Cooperation in Europe 55, 58, 63,
78
constructivism 11, 13, 15, 28, 36,
118; see also liberal model of the
international system; socialization
Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty
(1990) 57
Cooper, Robert 46
Croatia 52, 121–2
CSCE see Conference on Security and
Cooperation in Europe
CTBT see Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty
culture: cultural change 29, 38, 43,
118, 119; cultural identity 29;
defined 14
Czech Republic 58
democratic peace, the 9–10, 11, 12,
13–14, 15, 36, 37, 38, 43, 117,
118, 119, 120, 145
Deng Xioping 91, 101, 102
Dessler, D. 30, 31
Deudney, D. 18–19, 20
Diaoyo Islands 73, 94
Dibb, P. 92
domestic and international systems
distinguished 3–4, 4–5, 30, 36
Dorff, R.H. 69
Doyle, Michael 9–10, 14, 20
Drifte, R. 85
Duffield, J. 63
EAEG see East Asian Economic
Grouping
East Asia: US military presence 5–6,
9, 71, 72, 76–7, 80, 93, 98, 110,
122, 124, 125, 126, 127
East Asian Economic Grouping 75–6,
78
East Asian financial crisis 71, 72, 76,
79, 80, 87, 88, 99, 124
East Timor 96
EBRD see European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development
168
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EFTA see European Free Trade
Association
epochal effects 145
ERM see Exchange Rate Mechanism
EU see European Union
European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development 78–9
European Central Bank 56, 123
European Commission 59–60
European Council 5, 60, 123
European Free Trade Association 60
European Union: Afghanistan 140;
ARF 77; ASEM 78; budget 56, 60,
121–2, 123; CAP 56, 60, 66;
CFSP 53, 57; competition policy
66; EMU 56, 59, 62, 64;
enlargement 9; ERM crisis 55–6,
57, 121–2; Eurocorps 53–4;
European Parliament 60; expansion
60, 64, 65, 66; Germany 50, 57,
59, 64, 68, 122, 129, 131, 132;
High Representative for Foreign
Policy 54; Japan 75; QMV 54, 56,
60, 123; rapid reaction corps 54;
structural funds 60, 62, 66; Treaty
on European Union 53; United
States 5–6, 125
Evans, P. 107
Exchange Rate Mechanism 55–6, 57,
121–2
Fewsmith, J. 108
Financial Times, the 146
Finnemore, M. 15–16, 45
Foot, R. 98
foreign policy adjustments 16, 120–1
France: EMU 56; European Central
Bank 56, 123; European Council
123; European integration 59;
Germany 51, 55, 57, 59, 61, 123;
Gulf War 52; Iraq 138; QMV 123;
Stability Pact (1996) 56; United
States 55, 59
Friedman, E. 93
FS-X fighters 75
G7 see Group of Seven
Gallagher, M. 98
Garrett, B.N. 77
GATT see General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade
General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade 5, 55, 59, 78, 96, 99–100;
Uruguay Round 55, 78
Genscher, Hans Dietrich 61
George, A. 74
‘German Question’ 50
Germany 5; Amsterdam IGC 54, 59;
AWACS flights 52; Berlin Wall 1,
148; Bosnia 52, 53, 58; Bundesbank
55–6, 62, 63; Bundeswehr 50, 52,
57; Cambodia 52; CAP 56, 60, 66;
CDU 123; CFSP 53, 57; ‘civilian
power’ 8; Cold War ends 145;
constitution 19, 50, 52, 123;
Conventional Forces in Europe
Treaty (1990) 57; Croatia 52;
CSCE/OSCE 58, 63; domestic
variation 61–5; Eastern Europe,
German influence over 57; economic
problems 123; EMU 56, 59, 62, 64;
ERM crisis 55–6, 57, 121–2; EU
budget 56, 60, 121–2, 123; EU
competition policy 66; EU expansion
60, 64, 65, 66; EU structural
funds 60, 62, 66; Eurocorps
53–4; European Central Bank 56,
123; European Commission 59–60;
European Council 60, 123;
European integration 59, 62, 64, 66,
67, 123, 127; European Parliament
60; European security 62, 127;
Federal Constitutional Court 52;
foreign policy (1989–99) 50–69,
128–36; France 51, 55, 57, 59, 61,
123; G7 59; GATT/WTO 55, 59;
Greens 53, 123; Gulf War 52, 123;
identity transition 131–3; IFOR 53;
IMF 59; institutionalized activity
121; Japanese trade relations 55;
KFOR 53; Kosovo 53, 55, 58, 66;
Maastricht Treaty 52, 53, 59, 60;
major powers 127–8; military
activity outside NATO 52, 57, 58,
63, 65, 68, 123, 131; Ministry of
Finance 62; multilateralism 67, 68;
multipolarity 51; NAAC/PfP 58, 63;
NATO 50, 51, 53, 54, 57, 58, 61,
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62, 63, 65–6, 68, 122, 129, 131,
132; Non-Proliferation Treaty 57;
Oder-Neisse border 51; Operation
Deliberate Force 53, 123; Petersberg
Tasks 53–4; PHARE and TACIS
funding 60; Polish Border incident
57–8; political choices 65–9; QMV
54, 56, 60, 123; reflexively
institutionalist 62, 128; reunification
3, 9, 50, 51, 54, 57, 59, 61, 121–2,
123; Russia 54, 59; SDP 53, 123;
SFOR 53; Slovenia and Croatia 52,
121–2; Somalia 52; Srebrenica
massacre 53; Stability Pact (1996)
56; status 20; Treaty on European
Union 53; United States 6, 20, 41,
57, 61, 123, 124; Western European
Union 53–4, 57; World Bank 59;
Yugoslav crisis 52, 123
Gilpin, R. 74
Glaser, B.S. 77
Goldieger, J.M. 45–6
Goldstein, A.J. 104
Goodman, J.B. 61–2, 65, 128–9
Group of Seven 59, 78
Gulf War 52, 71, 72, 74, 76, 78, 83,
92, 93, 123, 124, 129, 138, 139
Hall, I.P. 75–6
Harding, H. 109
Harnisch, S. 67
Harris, S. 97, 107
Harvard University 2–3
Hasenclever, A. 35–6
hegemony 146; hegemonic stability
theory 6, 113–21; US 8, 17, 18, 21,
122, 126, 139, 141, 142, 145–6
Heginbotham, E. 79, 80, 81, 84,
129
Heilbrun, J. 56
Hellmann, G. 66
Hoffman, S. 2–3, 4, 9, 22, 26, 62,
114
Holland: Anglo-Dutch conflict 31
Hong Kong 94, 98, 104, 109–10
Hungary: and NATO 58
Huntley, W.L. 14, 15, 37, 39, 46
Hussein, Saddam 138
Hyde-Price, A. 58
169
identity: construction 28, 42; realism
102–4, 129; transition 143
Ikenberry, J. 18–19, 20
IMF see International Monetary
Fund
imitation 31
imperial overstretch 143–4
Inada, J. 78
India: ARF 77; China 95; nuclear
testing 73, 99
Inner Mongolia 102
Inoguchi, T. 78
institutionalist model of the
international system 1, 3, 4, 7–8, 11,
12; China 97–100, 130; defined 24,
40, 57, 76, 97, 101; Cold War ends
112, 114; foreign policy adjustments
17–18; Germany 57–61;
institutionalized activity 121;
international change 41;
international terrorism 141–2; Japan
76–9, 81, 82, 84–5; key variable 33;
‘linear’ relationship with neorealism
and liberalism 28, 40, 41, 48, 113,
116–17; logic of anarchy 33–6;
neoliberal institutionalism 34;
rationality 117; synthesis with
neorealism and liberalism 40–7;
theoretical framework 40; theories
and predictions 23; ‘triangular’
relationship with neorealism and
liberalism 28, 40, 42, 43, 117
institutionalization 16, 121–8; defined
13; reflexive 62
internalization 13
international and domestic systems
distinguished 3–4, 4–5, 30, 36
international institutions: defined 3
International Monetary Fund 5, 59,
72, 73, 78, 99
Iran 25, 96, 138, 141; Kuwait invaded
138, 139; regime change 137, 138,
140, 141; weapons of mass
destruction 138
Islamic fundamentalism 139
Italy: Gulf War 52
Jackson-Vanik amendment 97
Janning, J. 66–7
170
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Japan 9; ADB 75, 80, 124;
Afghanistan 140; AMF 72; APEC
72, 77, 78; ASEM 78; Cambodia 74;
car parts dispute 75; China 71, 73,
77, 80, 81, 85, 86, 87, 93–4, 97, 98,
104, 122, 129; ‘civilian power’ 8;
Cold War ends 145; constitution 19,
70, 74, 78, 80, 86, 124; CSCE/
OSCE 78; Diet Resolution 90; EAEG
75–6, 78; domestic variation 79–83;
East Asian financial crisis 71, 72, 76,
79, 80, 87, 88, 124; EBRD 78–9;
economic strategy 124; EU 75;
failure to remilitarize 79, 80, 88–9;
foreign investment 75; foreign policy
(1989–99) 70–90, 128–36; FS-X
fighters 75; G7 78; gaitsu 72, 75,
80, 88, 124; GATT/WTO 78; GDP
71; Gulf War 71, 72, 74, 76, 78, 83,
124, 129; human rights 76; identity
crisis 90; identity transition 131–3;
IMF/World Bank 72, 73, 78;
imperial past 88–9; institutionalized
activity 121; integration of 20;
kieretsu 83, 84; Korean unification
73; Kurile Islands 73, 87; LDP 83,
84, 131–2; low political and military
profile 81, 82, 88–9; major powers
127–8; Manila Framework Group
72; mercantilism 75, 76, 81, 85, 88,
129, 132; MST 19, 70, 71, 73, 77,
79, 85, 86, 87, 88, 93–4, 98, 124,
125, 129; multilateral development
banks 75, 78, 81; multipolarity and
51; National Defence Planning
Outline (1995) 77, 79, 124, 129;
NATO 77; North Korea 71, 73;
nuclear programme, potential 142;
OECD 78; oil supply 73; Okinawa
86; overseas aid 75, 80, 124; party
system 83, 88; Pearl Harbor 138;
PKO 74, 78; political choices 83–90;
post-War rehabilitation 70; rape of
Japanese girl 71; recession (1998)
83–4; SDF 74, 77, 78, 124; Senkaku
Islands 73, 94; SII 74; South Korea
73; status 20; Taiwan 71; Taiwan
Straits 73; TMD 73, 77, 86; trade
relations with West 80; UN 74, 77;
United States 5, 6, 20, 41, 71, 72,
74–5, 77, 80, 85, 86, 87, 122,
124–5, 133; US-Japan Joint
Declaration (1996) 73; Yoshida
Doctrine 70, 82, 83, 84, 85, 90,
131, 133
Jeffery, C. 64
Jervis, R. 44
Jiang Zemin 72, 101
Johnson, C. 87, 143–5
Johnston, A.I. 102–4, 105, 107, 129,
132
Johnstone, C.B. 87
Jones, C. 31
Kagan, R. 25–6, 141
Kant, Immanuel 9–10, 11, 14, 20, 26,
37, 38, 117, 120
Kapstein, E.B. 3, 4, 16–19, 21, 22, 26,
120, 139–40, 141
Katzenstein, P.J. 59, 61, 62, 82
Keehn, E.B. 87
Kennedy, P. 146–7
Keohane, R.O. 2–3, 4, 9, 12–13, 22,
26, 28–9, 30, 33–5, 40–2, 45, 47,
48, 62, 114, 120, 142
Khmer Rouge 95
Kim, S.S. 101
Kinkel, Klaus 55
Kirschner, E.J. 56
Kohl, Helmut 51, 55, 57–8, 61, 62
Kosovo 53, 54, 55, 58, 66, 95–6
Kurile Islands 73, 87
Kuwait: Iraq invades 138, 139
‘layer cake’ system 8
Layne, C. 51, 91
Levine, S.I. 101, 102
liberal model of the international
system 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14;
China 100–6, 106–11; Cold War
ends 112; defined 24, 61, 79, 101;
Germany 61–5, 65–9;
institutionalized activity 121; Japan
79–83, 83–90; ‘linear’ relationship
with neorealism and institutionalism
28, 40, 41, 48, 113, 116–17; logic of
anarchy 36–40; predictions 14–22;
socialization 130; Soviet collapse
Index
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118–21; synthesis with neorealism
and institutionalism 40–7; theoretical
framework 40; theories and
predictions 23; ‘triangular’
relationship with neorealism and
institutionalism 28, 40, 42, 43, 117;
see also socialization
Lincoln, E.J. 71
Little, R. 31, 43
Locke, John 11, 20, 117, 120
Maastricht Treaty 52, 53, 59, 60
Macao 94
McFaul, M. 45–6
Malaysia 75
Manila Framework Group 72
Mao Tse Tung 91, 102
Markovitz, A.S. 63–4
Mastanduno, M. 3, 4, 16–19, 21, 22,
26, 120, 139–40, 141
master variables 44
maturity effects 145
Maull, H.W. 8, 58, 63, 67
Mayer, P. 35–6
Mearsheimer, J.J. 25, 51, 91
Meiers, F.J. 58–9, 63
mercantile realism 81–2, 85, 88, 129,
132
Middle East 119
Mischief Reef 74, 94
Mochizuki, M.M. 86
Moore, T.G. 108
Moravcsik, A. 10, 13, 36, 37, 39, 117
Mukae, R. 89
Mulgan, A.G. 75
Muller, H. 57–8
multipolarity see polarity
Munro, R.H. 92, 93
NACC see North Atlantic Cooperation
Council
national interests 29
NATO see North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
neorealist model of the international
system 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 141;
ambiguity 32; Berlin Wall 148;
China 91–7, 130; Cold War ends
112, 114; defined 24, 41–2, 101;
171
foreign policy adjustments 17–18;
Germany 51–7; institutionalized
activity 121; international change
41; international terrorism 141;
Japan 70–6, 81, 82, 85; key variable
30; ‘linear’ relationship with
institutionalism and liberalism 28,
40, 41, 48, 113, 116–17; logic of
anarchy 30–3, 36, 37, 40; overextension 143; polarity 6, 8;
rationalist model 28; reflexive logic
28; September 11, 2001 137; Soviet
collapse 139; synthesis with
institutionalism and liberalism 40–7;
theoretical framework 40; theories
and predictions 23; ‘triangular’
relationship with institutionalism
and liberalism 28, 40, 42, 43, 117;
unipolarity 146
New York 137–48
Non-Proliferation Treaty 57, 96, 99
norms 13; cascade 15–16, 145
North Atlantic Cooperation Council
58, 63
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
5, 9, 19; Czech Republic 58;
enlargement 17, 54–5, 58; Germany
50, 51, 53, 54, 57, 58, 61, 62, 63,
65–6, 68, 122, 129, 131, 132;
Hungary 58; Japan 77; NATORussia Joint Permanent Council 55;
Poland 58; Russia 55; September 11,
2001 138; Washington Treaty 140–1
North Korea 71, 73; China 93; nuclear
programme 71, 73, 96, 142; US
sanctions 71
NPT see Non-Proliferation Treaty
nuclear proliferation: China 73, 94,
96, 99, 142; India 73, 99; Japan
142; North Korea 71, 73, 96, 142;
Pakistan 73
Nye, J.S. 2–3, 4, 8, 9, 22, 26, 35, 62,
76–7, 80, 85, 87, 92, 98, 114, 122
Oder-Neisse border 51
OECD see Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development
Okawara, N. 82
Okinawa 71, 86
172
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Operation Deliberate Force 53, 123
Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development 78
Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe 55, 58, 63,
78
OSCE see Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe
over-extension 142–4
pacific union 20
Pakistan: and China 95, 96; nuclear
testing 73
Paracel and Spratly Islands 73, 94, 98,
104
Partnership for Peace 58, 63
Paterson, W.E. 64
‘path dependent’ change 8
Pearl Harbor 138
Pearson, M.M. 107
Petersberg Tasks 53–4
PfP see Partnership for Peace
PHARE see Poland and Hungary Aid
for Economic Reconstruction
Philippines 94
Poland: Border incident 57–8; German
reunification 51; NATO 58;
Oder-Neisse border 51
Poland and Hungary Aid for Economic
Reconstruction 60
polarity 5; bipolarity 5, 8; multipolarity
5, 6, 8, 148; unipolarity 5, 6, 115,
139, 140, 147
Prisoner’s Dilemma 34
Pye, L.W. 102
Pyle, K.B. 83, 85, 86, 89
rationality 28–49
reflexivity 11–12, 13, 28–49, 113, 116,
117–18, 133–5, 145; defined 39
regime change see Afghanistan; Iraq
Reich, A. 63–4
Rittberger, V. 35–6
Robinson, T.W. 105
Ruggie, J.G. 32
Ruhe, V. 54–5
Russia 45, 119; Afghanistan 140;
China 95; East Asia 9; Germany 54,
59; international society 8; Kosovo
53, 54; Kurile Islands 73; NATO 55;
peaceful integration 144–5; terrorist
activities 142; United States 6, 17;
see also Soviet Union
Rynhold, J. 99
Salmon, T.C. 52
Samuels, R.J. 79, 80, 81, 84, 129
Sato, H. 59, 87, 110
Saudi Arabia 96
Schlor, W.F. 63
Second World War 50, 63
Segal, G. 72, 92, 98, 102, 103, 106,
109, 111
Senkaku Islands 73, 94
September 11, 2001 25, 26, 137–48
Shambaugh, D. 104, 106–7
Shinn, J. 106
Sikkink, K. 15–16, 45
Slovenia 52, 121–2
Smith, M.E. 65
Snyder, Jack 142, 144
socialization: the liberal model 10–11,
12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28,
29, 30–2, 33, 36, 38–9, 42, 43, 47,
116, 118, 119, 120–1, 130, 145;
defined 13, 30
Somalia 52
South China Sea 73
South Korea 73
Soviet Union: August coup (1991) 1;
collapse of 1, 2, 3, 15, 17, 24,
27, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 54, 82,
91, 103, 112, 113–21, 125, 129,
137, 138, 139, 140, 143–5;
German reunification 51, 57; IMF
package 73; Kurile Islands 87;
Pacific Fleet dismantled 91;
Second World War 70; Sino-Soviet
split 92; stagnation 91; Vietnam
aid ended 95; withdrawal of power
from Central Europe 3; see also
Russia
Srebrenica 53
state strategies: defined 3
Sterling-Folker, J. 43
structural realist model of the
international system see neorealist
model
Index
1111
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1011
1
2
3111
4
5
6
7
8
9
20111
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
30111
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
40111
1
2
3
4
45111
Syria 96
systemic theory 48, 114
TACIS see Technical Assistance to the
CIS
Tadokoro, M. 84
Taiwan 71, 93, 94, 98, 100, 104, 105,
109
Taiwan Straits 73; crisis (1996) 110,
125
Technical Assistance to the CIS 60
Tewes, H. 66, 67
Tiananmen Square see China
Tibet 102
Tow, W.T. 92
Two-Plus-Four 51, 61
UN see United Nations
under-extension 142–4
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics see
Soviet Union
unipolarity see polarity
United Nations 93, 95; Conference on
the Law of the Sea 94; Gulf War
138; Implementation Force 53;
Japan and 74, 77; Kosovo Force 53;
Stabilization Force 53
United States of America: Afghanistan
146, 147; APEC 78; ARF 77;
blowback 145–6; China 6, 17, 41,
74, 79, 93, 100, 125; ‘coalition of
the willing’ 138; Cold War ends 2,
143–5; containment strategy 5;
dominance 6, 16–17; East Asian
military presence 5–6, 9, 71, 72,
76–7, 80, 93, 98, 110, 122, 124,
125, 126, 127; Europe 5–6, 58, 126,
127; foreign policy dilemmas 144,
146; France 55, 59; GDP 6;
Germany 6, 20, 57, 61, 123, 124;
Gulf War 52, 71, 72, 74, 76, 78, 83,
92, 93, 123, 124, 129, 138, 139;
hegemony 8, 17, 18, 21, 122, 126,
173
139, 141, 142, 145–6; Iraq 137,
138, 139, 140, 141; Japan 5, 6, 20,
41, 71, 72, 74–5, 77, 80, 87, 122,
124–5, 133; military capabilities
141; overstretch 145–6; Pearl
Harbor 138; Philippines withdrawal
94; pre-emption 146–7; Russia 6,
17; Sino-US-Japanese relations 85;
Soviet Union collapses 143–5; TMD
86; Trade Act (1989) 74; unipolarity
41, 92, 140, 141
Van Wolferen, K. 83, 84, 89
variation 33
Vietnam 95
Wallace, W. 67
Waltz, K.N. 4–7, 20, 30–3, 45, 51,
91, 113–18, 139, 141
Wan, M. 80–1
Wang, H. 107–8
Washington, DC 137–48
Washington Treaty 138
Wendt, A.E. 11, 13–14, 20, 32–3,
38–9, 44–5, 47, 117, 119–20,
135
Western European Union 53–4, 57
Westphalia, Treaty of 148
WEU see Western European Union
Wilson, Woodrow 12
Wohlforth, W. 6–7, 115, 146–7, 148
World Bank 5, 59, 72, 73, 78, 99
World Trade Center, New York
137–48
World Trade Organization 55, 59, 78,
96, 99–100, 109
WTO see World Trade Organization
Xinjiang 102
Yahuda, M. 104, 109
Yang, D. 108
Yugoslav crisis 52, 123