A01=Alastair Iain Johnston
Adviser
Ambiguity
Analogy
Ancient China
Annexation
Author_Alastair Iain Johnston
Barbarian
Beijing
Calculation
Category=JBCC
Category=JPA
Category=JPS
Category=NHF
Causality
China
Classical Chinese
Confucianism
Confucius
Decision-making
Decisive victory
Disadvantage
Dynastic cycle
Edict
Emperor Taizong of Tang
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Explanation
Explanatory power
Foreign policy
Grand strategy
Han dynasty
Hegemony
Ideology
International relations
Literature
Mencius
Military capability
Military doctrine
Military organization
Military science
Military strategy
Ming dynasty
Mongols
Neo-Confucianism
Nonviolence
On China
Percentage
Philosopher
Political culture
Politics
Precedent
Prediction
Punitive expedition
Qi Jiguang
Qin Shi Huang
Rational choice theory
Realpolitik
Result
Ruler
Strategic goal (military)
Strategist
Strategy
Sun Tzu
Superiority (short story)
The Other Hand
Thought
Uniqueness
War
Warfare
Warring States period
Wen and wu
Xiongnu
Yu Qian
Zeng
Zhang Juzheng
Zheng (state)
Zhou dynasty
Product details
- ISBN 9780691002392
- Weight: 454g
- Dimensions: 165 x 254mm
- Publication Date: 16 Aug 1998
- Publisher: Princeton University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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Cultural Realism is an in-depth study of premodern Chinese strategic thought that has important implications for contemporary international relations theory. In applying a Western theoretical debate to China, Iain Johnston advances rigorous procedures for testing for the existence and influence of "strategic culture." Johnston sets out to answer two empirical questions. Is there a substantively consistent and temporally persistent Chinese strategic culture? If so, to what extent has it influenced China's approaches to security? The focus of his study is the Ming dynasty's grand strategy against the Mongols (1368-1644). First Johnston examines ancient military texts as sources of Chinese strategic culture, using cognitive mapping, symbolic analysis and congruence tests to determine whether there is a consistent grand strategic preference ranking across texts that constitutes a single strategic culture. Then he applies similar techniques to determine the effect of the strategic culture on the strategic preferences of the Ming decision makers. Finally, he assesses the effect of these preferences on Ming policies towards the Mongol "threat."
The findings of this book challenge dominant interpretations of traditional Chinese strategic thought. They suggest also that the roots of realpolitik are ideational and not predominantly structural. The results lead to the surprising conclusion that there may be, in fact, fewer cross-national differences in strategic culture than proponents of the "strategic culture" approach think.
Alastair Iain Johnston is Assistant Professor of Government and teaches Chinese foreign policy and international relations at Harvard University.
