Understanding the Challenge of China’s Rise: Fixing Conceptual Confusion about Intentions

Journal of Chinese Political Science - What are intentions and how should states decipher them? For scholars, the debate about uncertainty and intentions lies at the heart of international...     

In the Shadow of the Thucydides Trap: International Relations Theory and the Prospects for Peace in U.S.-China Relations

Journal of Chinese Political Science - Rising powers and the consequent shifts in the balance of power have long been identified as critical challenges to the international order. What is the...     

The Vulnerability of Rising Powers: The Logic Behind China's Low Military Transparency

Scholars and officials persistently criticize China for low transparency in its military affairs. Why does Beijing exacerbate the asymmetric information problem, even though this theoretically increases the likelihood of conflict? I offer an explanation, the vulnerability hypothesis, for why rising powers are likely to reject military transparency and the conditions under which this may change. By evaluating over 100 authoritative Chinese sources, I identify four threads of Chinese strategic thinking consistent with the vulnerability hypothesis: the United States is inherently dangerous as a declining hegemon, transparency heightens the risk of war during power transitions, transparency grants operational advantages to the opponent, and only the strong can leverage transparency to enhance deterrence. These findings have implications for power transition theory and US–China military relations.     

Correction to: In the Shadow of the Thucydides Trap: International Relations Theory and the Prospects for Peace in U.S.-China Relations

Journal of Chinese Political Science - The original version of the article unfortunately contained a mistake. The right-side header of the “Theoretical Framework” table on page four is...     

Friends and Education: Identity Patterns across Domains and Associations with Emotion Dysregulation and Identity Disturbance

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - The task of identity development, which involves distinguishing who one is, and defining and articulating this to others, is a challenging developmental task for...