Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers

280 Pages·2019·7.9 MB·english

by  Yan Xuetong

LEADERSHIP AND THE
RISE OF GREAT POWERS
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The Princeton- China Series
Daniel A. Bell, series editor
The Princeton- China Series aims to publish the works of contemporary Chinese
scholars in the humanities, social sciences, and related fields. The goal is to bring the
work of these important thinkers to a wider audience, foster an understanding of
China on its own terms, and create new opportunities for cultural cross- pollination.
The Constitution of Ancient China by Su Li, edited by Zhang Yongle and Daniel A.
Bell, translated by Edmund Ryden
Traditional Chinese Architecture by Fu Xinian, edited by Nancy Steinhardt, translated
by Alexandra Harrer
Confucian Perfectionism: A Political Philosophy for Modern Times by Joseph Chan
A Confucian Constitutional Order: How China’s Ancient Past Can Shape Its Political
Future by Jiang Qing, edited by Daniel A. Bell and Ruiping Fan, translated by
Edmund Ryden
Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power by Yan Xuetong, edited by Daniel A.
Bell and Sun Zhe, translated by Edmund Ryden
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Leadership and the
Rise of Great Powers
Yan Xuetong
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON AND OXFORD
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Copyright © 2019 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press
41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TR
press.princeton.edu
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018958065
ISBN 9780691190082
British Library Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available
Editorial: Eric Crahan and Pamela Weidman
Production Editorial: Mark Bellis
Jacket Design: Carmina Alvarez
Production: Jacqueline Poirier
Publicity: Tayler Lord and Caroline Priday
Copyeditor: Kathleen Kageff
Jacket art courtesy of Shutterstock
The research conducted for this book was funded by the Chinese Fund
for Humanities and Social Sciences
This book has been composed in Adobe Text Pro and Gotham
Printed on acid- free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
00_Yan_FM_i-xvi.indd 4 12/19/2018 2:59:40 PM
To my wife, Peizhi
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CONTENTS
List of Tables and Figures xi
Preface xiii
1 Morality, Power, and Authority 1
The Role of Morality in Realism Theory 3
Levels and Components of Morality 7
Differences between Power, Capability, and Authority 11
Influence of Morality and Strategic Credibility 19
Summary 23
2 Leadership and Strategic Preferences 25
The Role and Types of Leadership 26
Leaderships of a Rising State and Strategic Preferences 33
Strategic Credibility and International Leadership 40
The Principle of Humane Authority 48
Summary 51
3 Corollaries of International Change 54
State Leadership and Change of Power Configuration 55
State Capability, Leadership, and Strategy Preference 61
International Leadership and Norm Change 67
vii
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viii Contents
Changes in International Order and Systems 71
Summary 78
4 Power Redistribution and World Center 81
Leadership and Bipolarization 82
Bipolar Configuration Not Equal to Cold War 87
Conditions for Forming a World Center 93
Summary 102
5 Leadership and International Norms 104
Early Studies of Leadership and Norm Change 105
Types of Leadership and Types of Norms 107
Change in the Type of International Norms 116
Summary 123
6 International Mainstream Values 126
Value Challenge and Competition 127
Devaluation of Strategic Credibility 136
Beyond Liberalism 145
Summary 153
7 Transformation of the International System 155
Component Change versus System Change 156
Conditions for System Transformation 162
Political Leadership and System Transformation 165
Summary 171
8 Historical Cases of System Transformation 173
Ancient Chinese Cases 174
Cases in Modern History 181
Summary 188
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Contents ix
9 Conclusion 190
Theory Summarization 190
A New Bipolar World 197
Appendix: Ancient Chinese Figures 207
Notes 215
Selected Bibliography 241
Index 253
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