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Checks And Balances, Following The Intervention: Policy Responses Of The Three Countries Under The Hegemonic Shadow

Posted on:2005-01-13Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:Z Y WeiFull Text:PDF
GTID:1116360125467516Subject:International relations
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
How to cope with the hegemonic threat is an important issue of internationalpolitics in both the theoretic and practical dimensions. So far, there're basically twoconflicting viewpoints on this issue. The balance of power school, with Kenneth N.Waltz as its main representative and updator, argues that if any state attempts to seekhegemony, all the other states will no doubt balance, foil the hegemonic attempt andrestore the balance of power. Many other writers, with Randall L. Schweller as theardent advocate, contend that states will not always engage in balancing when facinghegemonic threat, instead bandwagoning is the preferred and more common statebehavior. Besides bandwagoning, they also mention some other behaviors, such asdistancing, waiting, buckpassing, etc. This dissertation argues that there're basically three kinds of state behaviorswhen the system is in the shadow of hegemonic threat, namely balancing,bandwagoning and noninvolvement. Among them, bandwagoning andnoninvolvement are the typical or dominant state behaviors in the system. Thoughbalancing is also a choice but normally the least frequent one. The reason why theformer is more common and why states eschew balancing lie in that states are moreconfined by specific constraints than by the abstract and deep international structure,namely anarchy. Among the specific constraints, pole, interstate power configuration,geography and conception are the basic determinative elements. Furthermore, theproblem of collective action and prisoners'dilemma also constrains states'choice andpreference for balancing behavior. As a result, when facing hegemonic threat,bandwagoning and noninvolvement become the dominant behaviors. In order to prove the viewpoints put forward in this dissertation, we use twohistoric cases as our case studies, namely the Warlords Period in ancient China andthe Napoleon War Period. The two case studies verify and reinforce the viewpoints. In the post-Cold War period, the world finds itself again under a new hegemonicthreat, namely the United States of America. The studies on states behaviors and thetheir roots conducted in this dissertation will no doubt have reflective implications onthe new issue.
Keywords/Search Tags:Balancing, Bandwagoning, Noninvolvement, Hegemony, Collective Action, Prisoners' Dilemma
PDF Full Text Request
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