As A Strategic Pursuit Of "sphere" : A Historical Perspective

Spheres of Influence are common in the history of the western great powers. In some practices, the great powers’ such pursuits suggested the major characteristics as a strategy.Such a strategy is an integration of purpose and feasibility rooted in the structure of the world system and traits of its member units, as demonstrated in aspects of the binary structure of the world, the gravitational field of great powers, the strategic frontier, the limited strategic goals and the small countries. Although culture and order of today’s world is not compatible with such ideas, the old powers are maintaining the continuity of their spheres and some of the new powers may find their needs of this.Two cases about the historical practices are studied: the division of China at the end of the19th century, especially what the Germans did, and America’s strategy toward Latin America under Monroe Doctrine from the beginning of the19th century. Through the comparison of their implementation under different situations, two patterns of this strategy and some points of their generality are concluded.Pursuing spheres of influence does not fit China’s strategic requirements and its traits. In order to cope with the latent pursuits of its strategic rivals, however, it is necessary to understand this strategy.