Power Politics : How China and Russia Reshape the World

We tend to think of ourselves as living in a time when nations, for the most part, obey the rule of law - and where they certainly don't engage in the violent grabs for territory that have characterised so much of human history. But as Rob de Wijk shows in this book, power politics very much remains a force on the international scene. Offering analyses of such actions as Putin's annexation of the Crimea and China's attempts to claim large parts of the South China Sea, de Wijk explains why power politics never truly went away-and why, as the West's position weakens, it's likely to play a bigger and bigger role on the global stage in the coming years. We tend to think of ourselves as living in a time when nations, for the most part, obey the rule of law-and where they certainly don't engage in the violent grabs for territory that have characterized so much of human history. But as Rob de Wijk shows in this book, power politics remains very much a force on the international scene. Offering analyses of such actions as Putin's annexation of the Crimea and China's attempts to claim large parts of the South China Sea, de Wijk explains why power politics never truly went away-and why, as the West's position weakens, it's likely to play a bigger and bigger role on the global stage in the coming years Contents Preface 1. Introduction: 19 th -century behaviour in the 21 st century? 2. Power and world order 3. Power and prosperity 4. What determines a country’s power? 5. The rise and fall of great powers 6. The consequences of declining power 7. The declining power of Europe 8. Europe’s soft power 9. The struggle for Ukraine 10. The rising power of China 11. Power politics in Asia 12. Conclusion: a stable or unstable world? Notes Index

A philosophical essay in support of the argument that progress in art is both possible and necessary.