Quest for Status
WARNING
You are viewing an older version of the Yalebooks website. Please visit out new website with more updated information and a better user experience: https://www.yalebooks.com
Chinese and Russian Foreign Policy
Deborah Welch Larson and Alexei Shevchenko
View Inside
Format: HardcoverPrice: $40.00
Deborah Welch Larson and Alexei Shevchenko argue that the desire for world status plays a key role in shaping the foreign policies of China and Russia. Applying social identity theory—the idea that individuals derive part of their identity from larger communities—to nations, they contend that China and Russia have used various modes of emulation, competition, and creativity to gain recognition from other countries and thus validate their respective identities. To make this argument, they analyze numerous cases, including Catherine the Great’s attempts to westernize Russia, China’s identity crises in the nineteenth century, and both countries’ responses to the end of the Cold War. The authors employ a multifaceted method of measuring status, factoring in influence and inclusion in multinational organizations, military clout, and cultural sway, among other considerations. Combined with historical precedent, this socio-psychological approach helps explain current trends in Russian and Chinese foreign policy.
"This long-awaited book is a major contribution to a global understanding of the two most important challengers to the U.S.-centered international order. Larson and Shevchenko offer a powerful socio-psychological analysis of Russia's and China’s foreign policies."--Andrei P. Tsygankov, San Francisco State University
"The fact that the Soviet Union both scorned its capitalist rivals and craved respect from them has long been a puzzle. Larson and Shevchenko unravel it by examining 500 years of Russian history and applying social identity theory to show the deep need for status and the alternative ways to gain it, including developing a new pecking order in which Russia has a high rank. The parallel analysis of China shows that this behavior characterizes other countries as well and is highly relevant for current world politics."—Robert Jervis, author of How Statesmen Think
Publication Date: February 26, 2019
