Looking for Balance: China, the United States, and Power Balancing in East Asia (Studies in Asian Security) - Tapa dura

"There is a fast-growing literature on China's rise in the field of international relations, and Looking for Balance makes great contributions to this subject area with its coherently articulated theoretical arguments and carefully presented empirical and historical evidence . . . Overall, Chan's book is analytically provocative and empirically rich. Not only is this book a helpful reference for a wide range of practitioners and scholars, but also a useful textbook for graduate students in US-China relations, East Asian international relations, and international relations theory courses." -- Sheng Ding * Journal of Chinese Political Science * "Looking for Balance compellingly argues for serious change in prevalent American foreign policy thinking about power dynamics in world affairs, and thus for how to deal with China and East Asia. It should cool the zealots for additional U.S. pursuit of military dominance in distant regions." -- Davis B. Bobrow, Emeritus Professor of Public and International Affairs and Political Science * University of Pittsburgh * "[A] carefully structured and analytically rigorous analysis . . . The work provides an interesting application of balance of power theories to a contemporary problem. College and university libraries with significant holdings on China will want this book . . . Recommended." -- J. A. Rhodes * CHOICE * "Steve Chan here persuasively refutes balance of power theory, the dominant paradigm in the study of international relations, by presenting solid empirical and historical evidence . . . Chan's book is analytically provocative, empirically rigorous and rich in policy implications. Students of China-US relations, Each Asian regional dynamics and international relations theory will benefit from it." -- Chung-in Moon * Global Asia * "Chan challenges the application of balance-of-power theory to today's Asia . . . Chan employs historical analysis and international relations theory to show that peaceful shifts in relative power are not unusual." -- Andrew J. Nathan * Foreign Affairs *

By drawing on alternative theoretic approaches-most especially "balance-of-threat" theory, political economic theory, and theories surrounding regime survival in multilateral rather than bilateral contexts Steve Chan is able to create an explanation of what is in motion in the region that differs widely from the traditional "strategic vision" of national interest.