- The Strategist - https://www.aspistrategist.org.au -
The Anglosphere and the China Choice
Posted By Andrew Davies and Hugh White on July 22, 2013 @ 06:00
A China that pluralises, abides by international law, trades freely and respects human rights will be, to use Hugh’s term, a China that’s agreeably ‘just like us’. There are many indicators that China is precisely on this journey and few to suggest that it rejects the international order.
After the Cold War it seemed to many—though not to me—that the world order was now accepted by all the big players, so it would last for ever; hence 'the end of history'. Then some folk thought that al Qaeda was the biggest or only challenge it faced. Now it's becoming clearer to more people that China doesn't accept it, and has the power to contest it if it wants to. But the scale of China’s challenge is still not agreed. Indeed the big division in the debate, including in our Anglosphere debate is between those who take China's challenge to the status quo seriously, and those who think it can be ignored or faced down at low cost.
To those who think it isn't to be taken too seriously—which I think includes Peter and many others, including the Government and the Opposition, and most Americans—unflinching defence of the status quo is a no brainer.
For those of us who do take it seriously—and I do—the response is much more complex. Do we cave in, fight back or a bit of both? And the answer isn't black and white, but grey all over. It isn't so much do we fight back or cave in, but how much change do we accept, and what do we refuse to compromise on? And that depends on the costs and risks of compromise on different issues versus the costs and risks of resistance on those issues. These are the vital questions to those who take China’s challenge seriously, but to those who don't, the calculus is much easier.
So first we need to debate whether the World Order (or Anglosphere if we prefer) really does face a serious challenge or not. Then, if we decide it does, we have to debate how to respond.
So yes, this idea is worth exploring—which is why I've written a book about it. Because this is precisely what The China Choice is all about.
Article printed from The Strategist: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au
URL to article: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-anglosphere-and-the-china-choice/
[1] Image: http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/5844536077_c33b0811b9_z.jpeg
[2] recent discussion of the nature of the Anglosphere: http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/?s=anglosphere
[3] argues: http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-sun-never-sets-on-the-anglosphere/
[4] Mikel: http://www.flickr.com/photos/atzu/5844536077/