The 1980s–1990s: Seen through IR Theory in China and Russia

Abstract

Looking back at the critical transformation of the international system in the 1980s–1990s, we should pay attention not only to IR theory in the West, but also look through the prism of IR theory in the Soviet Union and China, as this transformation was in progress, and in Russia and China, as they later reinterpreted what had changed and related it to theory aimed at explaining ongoing developments, of special interest in the 2010s. This leads to comparisons of IR theory in the two countries, comparisons across time in each country, and assessments of how their theories have performed in explaining developments with far-reaching consequences across Asia. Through the 1980s Soviet IR theory stood as the main alternative to IR theory in the West. Recently Chinese IR theory warrants consideration as the alternative drawing the widest attention. There are striking differences between the two, but there are also some little-noticed similarities, which may be indicative of a parallel impact. What is meant here by theory is not what is presented as such, but what takes the form of generalizations and predictions about how Asian relations are developing rooted in assumptions about the driving forces in how relationships among countries evolve.