Date of Award

12-1-2012

Document Type

Campus Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Public Affairs/International Relations

First Advisor

Wu Zhang

Second Advisor

Samuel Barkin

Third Advisor

Leila Farsakh

Abstract

The global economy and information technology are at the center of our world, and as a result, play a significant role in international relations. The economic interdependency and technological evolution of the twenty-first century have equalized power between the United States and China. However, power in international discourage has largely been determined using Cold War methods that have focused on military power, and little has been done to conceptualize economic globalization and information technology as the new currencies in twenty-first century politics. States no longer need to rely on a large and advanced military to project power and threaten force to achieve political goals. The interdependency created by economic globalization and simplicity of power projection through cyber space has diminished the utility of military power opening the door for China to become a power peer of the United States. China has compensated for an underdeveloped economy and weak military by capitalizing on low-value added manufacturing and the efficiency of information technology. However, as China continues to grow and its standard of living increases, communism will begin to constrain its power. Nevertheless, because the United States and China currently lead the international community, Washington and Beijing must adopt policies of cooperation and engagement.

Comments

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