Description
Book SynopsisSets out to answer two empirical questions. Is there a substantively consistent and temporally persistent Chinese strategic culture? If so, to what extent has it influenced China's approaches to security? This work focuses on the Ming dynasty's grand strategy against the Mongols (1368-1644).
Trade Review"If Johnston's analysis of China's strategic culture is correct--and I believe that it is--generational change will not guarantee a kinder, gentler China."--Warren I. Cohen, The Atlantic Monthly "[Cultural Realism] contends that the Chinese are no less concerned with the use of military power than any other civilization--a point that scholars have traditionally disputed because, as Johnston demonstrates, they misread the Chinese classics."--Roderick MacFarquhar, Lingua Franca "Johnston is correct that many actual Chinese uses of force look far more like 'realism' than many Sinologists have realized. His stress on the 'realist' thread in the classics is likewise very illuminating."--Arthur Waldron, The New Republic "The beauty of this book is the clarity and precision of the argument... We need the intellectual challenge of such social science research on ancient and imperial China."--Joseph W. Eshrick, Journal of Asian Studies
Table of ContentsList of Figures and TablesPrefaceCh. 1Strategic Culture: A Critique1Ch. 2Some Questions of Methodology32Ch. 3Chinese Strategic Culture and the Parabellum Paradigm61Ch. 4Chinese Strategic Culture and Grand Strategic Preferences109Ch. 5A Return to Theory155Ch. 6The Parabellum Paradigm and the Ming Security Problematique175Ch. 7Chinese Strategic Culture and Ming Grand Strategic Choice216Ch. 8Conclusion248Appendix A: Coding Procedures267Appendix B: Terms Used to Describe Legitimate Actions Directed at an Adversary270Appendix B: Terms Used to Describe Outcomes of Actions against an Adversary273Appendix C: Map of Northern Border Areas in the Ming Period274References275Index293
