As the world enters the third decade of the twenty-first century, far-reaching changes are likely to occur. China, Russia, India, and Brazil, and perhaps others, are likely to emerge as contenders for global leadership roles. War as a system-changing mechanism is unimaginable, given that it would escalate into nuclear conflict and the destruction of the planet. It is therefore essential that policymakers in established as well as rising states devise strategies to allow transitions without resorting to war, but dominant theories of International Relations contend that major changes in the system are generally possible only through violent conflict. This volume asks whether peaceful accommodation of rising powers is possible in the changed international context, especially against the backdrop of intensified globalization. With the aid of historic cases, it argues that peaceful change is possible through effective long-term strategies on the part of both status quo and rising powers.

Proposes a new view of rising powers that will appeal to those who are concerned about the rise of China, Russia and the gradual ascendance of India and Brazil

Features case studies of past failures and successes of accommodating rising powers

Easy-to-follow theoretical discussion with great practical application

Editor

T. V. Paul, McGill University, Montréal

T. V. Paul is James McGill Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at McGill University. He is the author or editor of 16 books and over 60 scholarly articles and book chapters in the fields of international relations, international security, and South Asia, including International Relations Theory and Regional Transformation (Cambridge, 2012) and Asymmetric Conflicts: War Initiation by Weaker Powers (Cambridge, 1994).

Contributors

T. V. Paul, Steven E. Lobell, Philip Potter, Krzysztof J. Pelc, Mlada Bukovansky, Ali Zeren, John A. Hall, Lorenz M. Lüthi, Martin Claar, Norrin M. Ripsman, Jeffrey W. Taliaferro, Kai He, Aseema Sinha, David R. Mares, Nicola Contessi, Theodore McLauchlin