United States and China are not heading toward a rivalry similar to the United States-Soviet conflict during the 20th century. This can be explained using the three levels of analysis in international relations: system, unit and individual respectively.
Firstly, the system level of analysis, the international system is defined by anarchy—the absence of a central authority (Waltz). United States and the Soviet Union were sovereign and thus were autonomous to each other.
The Cold War in the 20th century was a bi-polar competition between the United States and the Soviet Union known as the cold war between the two superpowers with opposing ideologies. The United States and its allies were supporting capitalism and the Soviets and their allies standing by communism. China has an authoritarian political regime with a capitalist system and does not …show more content…
In the 20th Century Cold War, “geopolitics was above all a clash of ideologies, increasing contact and growing convergence between the two disconnected societies fostered détente” (Leonard, 2013).
This rivalry will preeminently be geo-economic in nature rather than geopolitical as seen in the Cold War. Both countries are interdependent on each other due to the interweaved economic penetration of both states. China needs the United States exports and American expertise whereas America needs China to be its biggest banker and investor. The rest of the world was forced to take sides during the cold war but in today’s context, countries are able to associate with both United States and China. The rivalry between the two superpowers is intensifying and growing as we speak, both economically and politically but convergence is the root cause of the problem rather than divergence. The fight is now over maintaining the status of the two states rather than conflicting
Firstly, the system level of analysis, the international system is defined by anarchy—the absence of a central authority (Waltz). United States and the Soviet Union were sovereign and thus were autonomous to each other.
The Cold War in the 20th century was a bi-polar competition between the United States and the Soviet Union known as the cold war between the two superpowers with opposing ideologies. The United States and its allies were supporting capitalism and the Soviets and their allies standing by communism. China has an authoritarian political regime with a capitalist system and does not …show more content…
In the 20th Century Cold War, “geopolitics was above all a clash of ideologies, increasing contact and growing convergence between the two disconnected societies fostered détente” (Leonard, 2013).
This rivalry will preeminently be geo-economic in nature rather than geopolitical as seen in the Cold War. Both countries are interdependent on each other due to the interweaved economic penetration of both states. China needs the United States exports and American expertise whereas America needs China to be its biggest banker and investor. The rest of the world was forced to take sides during the cold war but in today’s context, countries are able to associate with both United States and China. The rivalry between the two superpowers is intensifying and growing as we speak, both economically and politically but convergence is the root cause of the problem rather than divergence. The fight is now over maintaining the status of the two states rather than conflicting