by Brantly Womack (University of Virginia, USA)

Table of Contents (33k)
Chapter 1: Introduction (91k)

China Among Unequals presents asymmetry theory, a new paradigm for the study of international relations, derived from China's relationships with its neighbors and the world. The first collection of its kind, it brings together key writings on the theory and its applications to China's basic foreign policy, particularly towards the United States and the rest of Asia.

Starting with an exploration of the general theory of asymmetry, with particular attention given to such topics as human rights, soft power, regionalism, and asymmetric wars, the book then moves on to the fundamentals of China's external relations, looking at the complexities created by its scale and broad range of neighbors. Traditional imperial relationships are analyzed, as well as China's more recent emphasis on multipolarity. The third section deals with US–China ties –China's most important relationship, and the only one in which it is in the more vulnerable position. The final section treats in detail the relationships between China and its Asian neighbors, including Southeast Asia and the complicated multilateral situations of Korea and Taiwan.

• Asymmetric International Relationships:
  • Recognition, Deference, and Respect: Generalizing the Lessons of an Asymmetric Asian Order
  • The United States, Human Rights, and Moral Autonomy in the Post-Cold War World
  • Dissecting Soft Power: Attention, Attraction, Persuasion
  • The Dilemma of Regional Powers
  • Democratic Defeatism: Reconsidering the Logic of Asymmetric Wars
• Underpinnings of China's Foreign Policy:
  • China Between Region and World
  • Traditional China and the Globalization of International Relations Thinking
  • Sustainable International Leadership: Lessons from the Sino–Vietnamese Relationship, 1968–1885
  • China as a Normative Foreign Policy Actor
  • Asymmetry Theory and China's Concept of Multipolarity
• China and the United States:
  • The Brightest House: Civilization and Asymmetry
  • The Reality and Limits of American Power
  • How Size Matters: The United States, China, and Asymmetry
  • United States and China's Rise: Parity and the Accommodation of Civilizations
• China and Asia:
  • Asymmetric Triangles and the Washington–Beijing–Taipei Relationship
  • The United States and Sino–Vietnamese Relations
  • Asymmetry and Systemic Misperception: China, Vietnam, and Cambodia During the 1970s
  • China and Southeast Asia: Asymmetry, Leadership, and Normalcy
  • Vietnam and China in an Era of Economic Uncertainty
  • Korea and Vietnam: Similarities and Differences in Their Relationships to China