China’s rise is changing the dynamics of the international system. Middle Powers and the Rise of China is the first work to examine how the group of states referred to as “middle powers” are responding to China’s growing economic, diplomatic, and military power. States with capabilities immediately below those of great powers, middle powers still exercise influence far above most other states. Their role as significant trading partners and allies or adversaries in matters of regional security, nuclear proliferation, and global governance issues such as human rights and climate change are reshaping international politics.
Contributors review middle-power relations with China in the cases of South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, Turkey, and Brazil, addressing how these diverse nations are responding to a rising China, the impact of Chinese power on each, and whether these states are being attracted to China or deterred by its new power and assertiveness. Chapters also explore how much (or how little) China, and for comparison the US, value middle powers and examine whether or not middle powers can actually shape China’s behavior. By bringing a new analytic approach to a key issue in international politics, this unique treatment of emerging middle powers and the rise of China will interest scholars and students of international relations, security studies, China, and the diverse countries covered in the book.
Table of Contents
1. China's Rise Through the Prism of Middle Powers
Bruce Gilley and Andrew O'Neil
2. Locating Middle Powers in International Relations Theory and Power Transitions
James Manicom and Jeffrey Reeves
3. China's Discovery of Middle Powers
Bruce Gilley
4. US Responses to Middle Powers and China
David A. Cooper and Toshi Yoshihara
5. South Korea's Middle Power Response to the Rise of China
TongFi Kim
6. Malaysia, Thailand, and the ASEAN Middle Power Way
Amy L. Freedman
7. Indonesia Responds to China's Rise
Ann Marie Murphy
8. Australia: A Traditional Middle Power Faces the Asian Century
Thomas S. Wilkins
9. South Africa's Middle Power Ambitions: Riding the Dragon or Being its Pet?
Janis van der Westhuizen and Sven Grimm
10. Turkey and China in the Post-Cold War World: Great Expectations
Yitzhak Shichor
11. Brazil's Rise as a Middle Power: The Chinese Contribution
Anthony Peter Spanakos and Joseph Marques
12. Conclusion: Seeing Beyond Hegemony
Bruce Gilley and Andrew O'Neil
List of Contributors
Index
Reviews
"The power shift between the United States and China is often misunderstood as a two-player drama. This book draws attention to the 20 or so “middle powers”—countries such as Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey—that have as much to gain or lose as the two main actors."—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs
"Well organized and well-written compendium . . . The volume makes a significant contribution in two ways. It assesses with rigor both systemitcally and theoretically the role of middle powers in the changing world order, and it provides important details and insights about China's actual interchange with eight important countries."—Perspectives on Politics
"A refreshingly readable account of the theory and practice of middle power influence in the contemporary world, which should help to correct the longstanding and rather patronizing neglect of these actors by US academics and policymakers. The jury may still be out on the full extent to which the norm-creating and multilateral institution-building initiatives, and strategic positioning of these states, including my own, have moderated—and will continue to moderate—the course of China’s rise. But the analysis and argument here makes it hard to argue that the traditional great powers are the only players who matter."—Gareth Evans, foreign minister of Australia 1988-96, and president emeritus of the International Crisis Group, Australian National University
Contributors
David A. Cooper Amy L. Freedman Bruce Gilley Sven Grimm TongFi Kim James Manicom Joseph Marques Ann Marie Murphy Andrew O'Neil Jeffrey Reeves Yitzhak Shichor Anthony Peter Spanakos Janis van der Westhuizen Thomas S. Wilkins Toshi Yoshihara
About the Author
Bruce Gilley is an associate professor of political science at the Mark Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. He is the author of five books, including The Nature of Asian Politics, and has twice won the Canada International Council’s Cadieux Award for best article.
Andrew O’Neil is a professor in the School of Government and International Relations and director of the Asia Institute at Griffith University in Australia. He has been editor-in-chief of the Australian Journal of International Affairs; his most recent book is Asia, the US and Extended Nuclear Deterrence: Atomic Umbrellas in the Twenty-First Century.
