Description
Book SynopsisSteve Chan examines a range of international relations theories and popular narratives that suggest an elevated risk of Sino-American confrontation. Bringing together expertise in IR theory and keen political acumen,
Rumbles of Thunder challenges conventional wisdom on the likelihood of war between the United States and China.
Trade ReviewIn this powerful book, Steve Chan debunks power transition theory that has framed the U.S.-China rivalry. With an unflinching and well-grounded critique of the key propositions that have informed policy debates in both countries, this book will force us to see U.S.-China competition in a different light. -- Yong Deng, author of
China’s Strategic Opportunity: Change and Revisionism in Chinese Foreign PolicyAs Steve Chan eloquently argues in this book, recent power shifts have inclined Beijing and Washington to adjust their foreign policies, causing a deterioration in their bilateral relations. At a time of intensifying U.S.-China competition in world affairs,
Rumbles of Thunder provides an essential logic to understand this rivalry. -- Weixing Hu, University of Macau
Challenging many dominant theories about U.S.-China relations, including in particular the “Thucydides Trap” narrative, Steve Chan’s
Rumbles of Thunder offers a nuanced and insightful assessment of both the roots of U.S.-China rivalry and the prospects for future conflict between the two powers. -- Scott Kastner, author of
War and Peace in the Taiwan StraitA culmination of his decade-long research, Steve Chan’s book challenges the rhetoric about an impending U.S.-China power transition that contributes to misperception and abets a self-fulfilling prophecy of a coming war. A must-read for students of international relations. -- Ren Xiao, Fudan University
Steve Chan has written an insightful book on power shifts and the likelihood of war between the United States and China.
Rumbles of Thunder challenges the conventional wisdom that exclusively prioritizes structural factors and brings back human agency and domestic politics in explaining great power conflicts. -- Ketian Zhang, George Mason University
Rumbles of Thunder makes several remarkable contributions to the literature on Sino-American relations. It challenges the prevailing pessimistic view of the Thucydides trap, creatively elaborates on three concepts of power and uses them to explain the power dynamics of U.S.-China relations, and offers nuanced and sophisticated analyses of the Taiwan issue. -- Kai He, author of
China’s Crisis Behavior: Political Survival and Foreign PolicyTable of ContentsIntroduction
1. Power Shift Explains Better Worsening Sino-American Relations
2. Conceptual and Measurement Problems in Studying Power
3. Persistence of Washington’s Structural Power in U.S. Global Domination
4. Domestic Sources of Foreign Policy
5. Taiwan as a Possible Catalyst for Sino-American Conflict
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
