Term of Award
Fall 2008
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Social Sciences (M.A.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Committee Chair
Emilia Powell
Committee Member 1
Krista Wiegand
Committee Member 2
Richard Pacelle
Abstract
This paper examines the political, social and economic realities of Chinas rise in an effort to better understand the potential evolution of Sino-American relations. Engagement reasons a prosperous China will become democratic and socially pluralistic, but by observing the development of freedom and rule of law in China and comparing their relationship with economic growth, trade and investment, this analysis challenges the idea that China will have to democratize to meet the pressures of globalization. Economic growth has legitimatized the authoritarian regime in China, freedom is not related to decisions of trade and investment, and the Chinese people have not grown closer to America as their ties to the outside world have strengthened. China has changed, not in the direction American foreign policy desires or international relations theories predict. My findings confirm Chinas rise is uncertain and belief in the inevitability of democracy or war neglects historical and empirical data.
Recommended Citation
Stewart, Larry Buster, "Sino-American Relations in the 21st Century: The Political, Social and Economic Realities of China's Rise" (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 614.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/614
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
