Global powers, peace and security

Question 1

Describe US foriegn policy pre-WWII

Answer 1

• 20^th century: idealism basis of US dominance (not only in a military sense) and hegemony
• Woodrow Wilson: president during WWI, created 14 points, idealist leader
  
  • secret diplomacy as seen in the Concert of Europe was not effective, needed to be open and fair
  • League of Nations created to facilitate this
• isolationism: US experienced internal divisions and failed to join the League
• during and post-WWII: American foreign policy realism
  
  • joined allies including NATO (1949), CENTO, SEATO, alliance system with stats formed irrespective of their nature of democracy or absence of it
  • bipolar international system forms: America emerged as one of two superpowers with other ally countries that aligned with their ways of thinking – alliances created to enforce balance of power (realist), accept exploitation with mutual benefits and needs being met (Marxist)
  • superpower: capacity to extend its influence across the globe via their economic and military power
    
    • reasons contributing to American formation of a superpower: military power, economic capacity including helping European countries to rebuild post-war
  • SEATO: 1954, US, France, Great Britain, NZ, Australia, Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan – included countries that were able to collaborate with the US and contain the communist influence (not only Soviet but also China
  • CENTO: Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, UK and USA, aim to confine Soviet influence especially in the Middle East

Question 2

Describe the US and post cold war

Answer 2

• triangulation of world power with the rise of China as a country in its own right (without help of Soviet Union)
  
  • 1950s-1960s: Soviet began pulling back from China with worry of another war being created with the rise of Chinese power
• 1970s: US attempting to retain China by trying to carefully balance power
  
  • became civil with Soviet and China – America retained power as both other countries knew they relied too much on America’s resources and were in too much of a risky position with military power of US
• 1979: Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, start of new Cold War
  
  • US were worried that if Soviet extended power to control of Persian gulf would affect oil transportation
  • US began forming alliances again to regain influence and power
  • encouragement of religious ideas (Jihad) via financial support to fight Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

Question 3

Describe the end of the cold war and US

Answer 3

• internal weakness of USSR partially due to involvement in Afghanistan
• debate over international system was unipolar or multipolar
• threats to US hegemony began
  
  • Al-Qaeda: US alliances form again leading indirectly to formation of IS
  • 9/11 and the War on Terror, Bush Doctrine (2002)
• invasion of Afghanistan (2001)
• invasion of Iraq (2003)
• wars lead to great economic, military and morale (PTSD with soldiers coming back similar to Vietnam War) cost
• reassertion of global values: globalism and Obama
• question of US hegemony: in terms of military power or ideas and values

Question 4

Describe the power profile of China

Answer 4

• emerging superpower
• first trading partner with over 100 countries, world’s largest trading nation
• 2010: passed Japan to become world’s second largest economy – role as world economic engine over the past 10 years
• China-US rivalry
  
  • if China’s economic growth continues, by 2030 it will overtake US as largest economy (World Bank)
• one of few countries capable of launching aircrafts into space – shows maturity of their power profile
• one of the 5 original nuclear states
• focus: rapid speed at which China has achieved near superpower with greater potential

Question 5

China’s historical background

Answer 5

• until mid-19^th century: ancient and continuous civilisation, dominating a regional tributary system – political domination based on tributes, centre of region (and universe in their view)
• ‘century of national humiliation’:
  
  • mid-19^th-20^th century: semi-colony of the West – difficult to colonise due to sophisticated systems of irrigation and banking etc., shattered domination, Western control over some areas
  • 1937-45: Japanese invasion and partial occupation
• Civil War (1946-49): communists v. nationalists – both parties claiming to be the only source of national salvation
• 1949: People’s Republic of China, founded by the CCP on the mainland
  
  • nationalists left to Taiwan and call themselves Republic of China
• 1949-76: Mao Zedong – era of reform, pursued political purity an class struggle, causing economic bankruptcy and mass poverty
• 1980s: Deng Xiaoping – accomplished rapid economic growth, raised people’s living standards, strengthened the military and made China a rising global power (known as Beijing consensus model which the developing world could emulate)

Question 6

China’s foreign policy goals currently (and factors underlying)

Answer 6

Factors to consider

• historical experiences: memory, identity
• evolving international and regional circumstances
• PRC’s political system and its transformation, achievements and challenges in economic reform

Contemporary foreign policy goals

• security: comprehensive national security – not just human security but also regime security, non-traditional security issues
  
  • security as it is traditionally defined longer a major issue for Beijing
  • as the world’s leading authoritarian party-state, PRC feels vulnerable to the post-Cold War campaign on human rights and democracy despite the rhetoric of Beijing consensus
• geo-economics/economic diplomacy – helps sustain the regime through performance legitimacy
  
  • to seek economic and trade benefit, secure the supply of mineral resources and stabilise global financial situation
  • economic diplomacy used to be unsophisticated, focussing on other South-Asian countries - more sophisticated and balanced approach now
• territorial integrity/sovereignty
  
  • recover ‘lost territories’ incl. handover of Hong Kong (1997) and Macao (2000), unification with Taiwan, crackdown on secessionist movements in Tibet and Xinjiang, South and East China Sea
  • views international policy as mask for Western ideals
• enhancing China’s international influence: soft power as reason America has maintained position as a superpower due also to worship of American culture
  
  • proactive power in UN and other multilateral forums and in relations with major powers
  • adopted independent postures in a range of international and regional issues
  • soft power promotion in culture and sports and to assert China’s own influence commensurate its newly achieved prowess and self-confidence and to rectify historical wrongs
  • shape the setting of international agenda on political security as well as economic issues concerning China, the case of global discussions over climate change and human rights
  • reduce the strategic and political pressure imposed by the US supremacy in global and regional affairs and balance the increasingly activist global gestures of Japan and India