How did American analysts seem to get China so “wrong”? Why wasn’t there more of a debate until fairly recently inside the halls of power? What concerns drove the Obama administration’s China policy? What would a Chinese-led international order look like? Ely Ratner discusses these issues and many more in the fifth episode of “Jaw-Jaw.” If you'd like to read a full transcript of this episode, click  here.   Biographies Ely Ratner is the former deputy national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, and he currently is Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American security. His extensive writings on China have been published in Foreign Affairs,  The New York Times,  Washington Post, and  Wall Street Journal, among other outlets.   Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005 and was undersecretary of the Army and acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the Obama administration. He welcomes comments at brad.carson@warontherocks.com.   Links  Liz Economy,  The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State, (Oxford University Press, 2018) Thomas Wright,  All Measures Short of War: The Contest for the 21st Century & the Future of American Power, (Yale University Press, 2017) 

How America Got China Wrong

Winston Churchill once said, "To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war." Brad Carson, a former senior defense official and congressman, hosts 'Jaw-Jaw' -- an interview series on the world's greatest geopolitical challenges. Each season focuses on a different challenge and features interviews with the top thinkers and leaders working on that challenge. Our first season is on China. This podcast is brought to you by War on the Rocks (https://warontherocks.com).

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How does China think about the nature of war? How has China’s conception of war changed over time? What are “military guidelines” in Chinese statecraft and what leads the Chinese leadership to develop new ones? These and other questions are discussed in the latest episode of Jaw-Jaw, where Professor Taylor Fravel discusses his recent book  Active Defense: China’s Military Strategy Since 1949.   Biographies Taylor Fravel is the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and member of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Taylor is a graduate of Middlebury College and Stanford University, where he received his PhD. He currently serves on the editorial boards of the International Studies Quarterly, Security Studies, Journal of Strategic Studies, and the China Quarterly, and is a member of the board of directors for the National Committee on U.S. - China Relations. He is also the Principal Investigator of the Maritime Awareness Project.   Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and was Undersecretary of the Army and acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness in the Obama administration. He welcomes comments at brad.carson@warontherocks.com.   Links  National Defense University, "Chairman Xi Remakes the PLA: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms," (2019) David Edelstein, "Over the Horizon: Time, Uncertainty, and the Rise of Great Powers," (Cornell University Press, 2017) Carl Minzner, "End of an Era: How China's Authoritarian Revival is Undermining Its Rise," (Oxford University Press, 2018)     

A Look at the PLA's History of Planning for War with Taylor Fravel

What threat does a revisionist China pose to the United States and democratically minded states around the world? Where should we look to find out the intentions of the Chinese Communist Party? If left unchecked, will China export its illiberal form of government? These and other questions are explored in this week’s episode of Jaw-Jaw. For a full transcript of this interview, click  here.    Biographies  Peter Mattis is a Research Fellow in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and a contributing editor at War on the Rocks. He was a Fellow in the China Program at The Jamestown Foundation, where he also served as editor of the foundation’s China Brief, a biweekly electronic journal on greater China, from 2011 to 2013. He previously worked as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency for four years. Prior to entering government service, Mr. Mattis worked as a research associate at the National Bureau of Asian Research in its Strategic Asia and Northeast Asian Studies programs, providing research assistance and editing support.   Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and was Undersecretary of the Army and acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness in the Obama administration. He welcomes comments at brad.carson@warontherocks.com.   Links  Elizabeth Economy,  The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State, (Oxford University Press, 2018) Jonathan Ward,  China's Vision of Victory, (Atlas Publishing and Media Company, 2019) Adam Brookes,  The Night Heron, (Redhook, 2014) Adam Brookes,  Spy Games, (Redhook, 2015) Adam Brookes,  The Spy's Daughter, (Sphere, 2017)     

Peter Mattis on the Intentions of the Chinese Communist Party

The United States and China are headed for a “cold war lite,” says Minxin Pei. What does this exactly mean? And what threat does China present to the U.S. that would necessitate such a confrontational posture? Can China transition to a less export-driven economy or will its growth inevitably slow? What are the root causes of corruption in China? Is Xi’s anti-corruption campaign successful? These and other questions are explored in this week’s episode of Jaw-Jaw. If you'd like a transcript of this episode, please click  here.   Biographies Minxin Pei is the Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College. His research has been published in Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, the National Interest, Modern China, China Quarterly, Journal of Democracy, and his op-eds have appeared in the Financial Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek International, and International Herald Tribune, and other major newspapers. Professor Pei is the author of  China’s Crony Capitalism: The Dynamics of Regime Decay (2016);  China’s Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy (2006); and  From Reform to Revolution: The Demise of Communism in China and the Soviet Union (1994).   Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and was Undersecretary of the Army and acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness in the Obama Administration. He welcomes comments at brad.carson@warontherocks.com.   Links  Liz Economy,  The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State, (Oxford University Press, May 2018) Nicholas Lardy,  The State Strikes Back: The End of Economic Reform in China?, (Peterson Institute for International Economics, January 2019) Minxin Pei,  China's Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy, (Harvard University Press, March 2006)   

Minxin Pei Predicts a Cold War Lite Between the U.S. and China

Is East Asia balancing against a rising China? No way, says David Kang. Is China’s island-building a unique provocation? Not at all, says Kang. Does the world have anything to fear from a powerful China? Not really, and, indeed, a weak China is the greater threat to world order. Listen to the “unconventional perspective” of Professor David Kang in the latest episode of Jaw-Jaw. If you'd like to read a transcript click  here.   Biographies David C. Kang is Maria Crutcher Professor in International Relations, Business and East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Southern California, with appointments in both the School of International Relations and the Marshall School of Business. At USC, he is also director of the Korean Studies Institute. Kang’s latest book is   American Grand Strategy and East Asian Security in the 21st Century (Cambridge University Press, 2017). He is also author of East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute (Columbia University Press, 2010); China Rising: Peace, Power, and Order in East Asia (Columbia University Press, 2007); and Crony Capitalism: Corruption and Development in South Korea and the Philippines (Cambridge University Press, 2002).   Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and was Undersecretary of the Army and acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness in the Obama Administration. He welcomes comments at bradrogerscarson@gmail.com. Links  Brad Glosserman,  Peak Japan: The End of Great Ambitions, (Georgetown University Press 2019) Michael Green,  By More Than Providence: Grand Strategy and American Power in the Asia Pacific Since 1783, (Columbia University Press 2017) Victor Cha, Power Play: Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia, (Princeton University Press 2016)   

When it Comes to China, America Doth Protest Too Much, David Kang Thinks

What is China’s vision of a reformed system of global governance? And how can the United States and China find common ground, while still competing with one another? How can the United States limit China’s ambitions, and what is the best way to prevail in this international rivalry? These questions – and many more – are addressed in the new episode of Jaw-Jaw! If you'd like a transcript of this episode, please click  here.    Biographies Melanie Hart is a senior fellow and director for China Policy at the Center for American Progress. Dr. Hart’s research focuses primarily on China’s domestic political trends, U.S.-China trade and investment, Chinese foreign policy engagement in Asia, and U.S. foreign policy toward China. She founded and leads multiple U.S.-China Track II dialogue programs at CAP and frequently advises senior U.S. political leaders on China policy issues. She has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, San Diego and a B.A. from Texas A&M; University. Most recently, she has co-authored two reports on China,  Mapping China’s Global Governance Ambitions (February 2019) and  Limit, Leverage, and Compete: A New Strategy on China (April 2019).   Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and was Undersecretary of the Army and acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the Obama administration. He welcomes comments at brad.carson@warontherocks.com.   Links  Elizabeth Economy,  The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State, (Oxford University Press, 2018) Susan Shirk,  China: Fragile Super Power, (Oxford University Press, 2008)     

How America Got China Wrong

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