The book analyzes how the international landscape’s dynamics of power has changed since the end of the Cold War. Brown examines how the United States and European Union have responded to ‘China’s rise’ by analyzing how policymakers’ perceptions of China have evolved and influenced their policy decisions.

Brown claims that ‘China’s rise’ is a contested notion, with varied perceptions of how the implications of China’s ascendancy have shaped policy preferences in ways that are inconsistent with concerns over the threat of an impending power-transition. The purpose of the study is to show the different ways in which the US and the EU have responded to the rise of China through analysis of their decision-making processes and outcomes across a series of key encounters and events.

Scott Brown is a post-doctoral fellow within the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies at Georgia Institute of Technology. His primary research interests lie at the intersection between International Relations theory, Foreign Policy Analysis and US-EU-China relations.