Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers.

• Date: 01 August 2019
• Author: Johnson, Kofi

Xuetong, Yan, Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2019. xvi + 260 pages, Hardcover, $29.95.

Over the years, international relations scholars frequently based their analyses on Hans Morgenthau' realist theory, which emphasizes power politics. Consequently, conducting diplomacy in the international arena was frequently understood to be amoral. The title under review runs contrary and may be viewed as a game changer for a new breed of international relations' scholars, who want to apply a humanistic face in conducting foreign policy. One of the pioneers of this line thinking is Yan Xuetong, professor of political science and dean of the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing. In his new book, Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers, the focal point is morality as an instrument of conducting foreign policy. The central questions that this book grapples with are: "why do great powers rise" and "how does a challenger actually displace the Hegemon?" Beyond these questions, Xuetong aims to demonstrate how China could displace United States and then become the great power.

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