The Relationship among Washington, Beijing, and Taipei in the Post-Cold War Era: A formal modeling

This paper investigates domestic origins of the cyclical pattern in Washington’s relationship with Beijing and Taipei. By focusing on the impact of U.S. presidential election, it argues that, during the election year, U.S. leaders adopt popular policies to achieve a greater number of votes. Such popular policies result in tensions between the countries and subdue the long-term U.S. strategic interests. After election, political leaders resume the long-term strategic interests. A generalizable maximum utility function model is developed to analyze and predict the impact of domestic politics on international relations. Early versions were presented at the International Symposium on the U.S.-China Relations, University of Maryland, October 1996, and at the Chinese Association for Eurasian Studies in Taipei, May 1997. The errors remaining are ours. is currently teaching at Clemson University. His latest publications include a forthcoming volume,Transition towards Post-Deng China, by the Singapore University Press. from Northern Illinois University in 1994, has published several research articles in top journals. His current research interest is centered on economics of public policy making. Currently he is teaching at Hillsdale College, Michigan.