Realism is an international relations theory that views world politics as a competition between states that are motivated by self-interest. It involves the assumption that the International system is anarchic and states act as rational unitary actors motivated by a desire to survive. Mearsheimer highlights the idea of anarchy - there is no central authority in the international system - and how it leads states to think and act aggressively. According to realism, great powers are searching for opportunities to gain power over rivals. Survival is the primary goal of great powers and this underscores the idea that great powers have autonomy of domestic politics where states act as unitary actors. The combination of these assumptions lead to three general patterns of behavior. First, fear - Great powers fear each other, viewing one another as potential enemies, amplified by the absence of a central authority to turn to for help. Secondly, self-help where states rely on themselves for security because they cannot depend on others where alliances are temporary and based on self-interest. Lastly, States strive to be the most powerful in the system to ensure their survival. They seek opportunities to increase their power at the expense of rival, leading to a zero sum mentality. A hegemon is a state so powerful it dominated all other states in the system, where they maximize their relative power. For example, US is a regional hegemon in the western hemisphere and China can be considered a regional hegemon in the east.
Constructivism is built around the idea that anarchy is what states make of it. Instead of a power-hungry world that realism paints, constructivism predicts that states operate in a social environment that is much richer than implied by the term “anarchy”. States construct other states as a ‘friend’ or ‘sovereign’ through their interaction in ways that persist over time. Realist take for granted that the international order led by European powers agrees that countries are sovereign in your own borders. States construct their own identities in ways that constrain and shape their behavior which leads to democratic peace. So, what we do needs to conform with our identities and relationship with other states. Constructivists argue that the United States and China are not automatically rivals, but instead construct that identity through rhetoric and other social processes.
Qin Victory over all rivals 221 BC
China at the center, 221 BC to 1940
Japan Joins rank of “great powers” (1868 - 1905)
China failed to response to the challenge of imperialism (1868 - 1905)
Japan goes along with the Washington System (1920s)
Japanese over-expansion leading up to WW2 (1931-1945)
China and the US become enemies after WW2
Japan/Taiwan/Korea and US become allies, but bilateral and asymmetric
Japan/Taiwan/Korea and US become allies, but bilateral and asymmetric
the collapse of tributary system → 3 kingdoms
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