New theoretical perspectives and implications for Europe. Two book presentations that will explore in detail the implications of US-China competition for 21st Century international politics, and it will do so from original theoretical perspectives
Following the end of the Cold War, US military and economic preponderance buttressed a globalised and unipolar world. That world is now clearly over. China’s (re-)emergence to regional – if not global – prominence has led to the revival of great power competition and to an active contestation of the international order by both Washington and Beijing. This talk will explore in detail the implications of US-China competition for 21st Century international politics, and it will do so from original theoretical perspectives.
The authors of two newly-published, important books will engage in a conversation on the drivers, significance and implications of the United States’ relative decline and China’s rise. Realists and power transition theorists have emphasised how Beijing’ ascendency is likely to generate instability, security competition and even trigger a hegemonic war. Liberals assumed that China would join the US-led international order, rather than try to subvert it. Dian and Leoni draw instead from an English School and Critical Studies approach, respectively, to paint a more complex picture of China’s rise, its impact on the international order, and of US responses to inter-state competition. The discussion will introduce new International Relations theory-informed standpoints on this most vital relationship to 21st Century peace and prosperity, while exploring the implications of these original perspectives for Europe.
Speakers:
Matteo Dian (University of Bologna)
Zeno Leoni (Defence Academy of the United Kingdom)
Discussant:
Silvia Menegazzi (LUISS Guido Carli University)
Organiser:
Giulio Pugliese (University of Oxford and European University Institute)
Books presented:
Matteo Dian, La Cina, gli Stati Uniti e il Futuro dell’Ordine Internazionale, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2021. (China, the United States and the future of the International Order).
Zeno Leoni, American Grand Strategy from Obama to Trump: Imperialism After Bush and China’s Hegemonic Challenge, Palgrave MacMillan, London, 2021.