Conservatism and US Foreign Policy

Author: Ren Xiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: On August 24-25, 2002, the U.S. Department of the Shanghai International Studies Institute and the U.S. Research Center of Fudan University jointly organized the symposium "Conservatism and U.S. Foreign Policy." This book is the product of that symposium. It is hoped that the publication of this book will further promote the study of U.S. political ideas and U.S. foreign policy, elevating research in this field to a new level. As the saying goes, "A stone from another mountain can polish jade." It is believed that this research will also drive innovation in China's international relations theory and contribute to the formation of a school of thought in this field.
In August 2002, the U.S. Research Office of the Shanghai International Studies Institute and the U.S. Research Center of Fudan University, under the "Arms Control and Regional Security" research project, jointly hosted an academic symposium. As one of the main outcomes of the conference, the book "Conservatism and U.S. Foreign Policy" was published by Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore in 2003. Grateful for the recognition of peers in academia, this work was affirmed. Encouraged and inspired by all parties, a year later, in September 2003, the two aforementioned institutions jointly organized the second academic symposium titled "Realism and U.S. Foreign Policy." Young scholars from Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, and Luoyang gathered to engage in lively and rigorous academic discussions. This was a successful symposium, and this book reflects its outcomes.
The original intention of this meeting was to reach a broader audience of young international relations scholars, aiming to provide a platform for them to take the lead. We believe that such cultivation and training could be a meaningful endeavor. As a result, a group of young scholars in their twenties and thirties attended the meeting and shared their research insights. In 2001, John Mearsheimer, a professor at the University of Chicago, published his new book "The Tragedy of Great Power Politics," which garnered widespread attention. In April 2003, the Chinese edition of the book was published by Shanghai People's Publishing House. Around this time, a major event occurred globally: the United States launched a war on Iraq without the United Nations' authorization, sparking a global division of power and intense debate. Mearsheimer was an opponent of this war. The fact that Mearsheimer, under the banner of "Offensive Realism," opposed the war is an interesting phenomenon. Therefore, we chose the theme "Realism and U.S. Foreign Policy" and invited scholars to write papers, both analyzing the development of realism in international relations theory and reflecting on its strengths and weaknesses, as well as exploring the relationship between realism and U.S. foreign policy.
The news spread, and scholars responded enthusiastically, conducting research and submitting a total of 18 papers, contributing to the success of the symposium. After the meeting, we requested the authors to revise their papers based on the discussions, and we also provided revision suggestions for most of them. Shortly after the symposium, Professor Mearsheimer visited China for a lecture tour, and many paper authors had the opportunity to discuss academic issues with him in person, which greatly benefited the revision and refinement of their papers.
It is not a coincidence that the authors criticized more than they praised Mearsheimer's "Offensive Realism" theory, which naturally involves an evaluation of realism in international relations theory and its development. What we value more is the theoretical courage and independent thinking of the authors, as some of their research has proven to be quite in-depth, indicating that the younger generation of scholars is growing. This is a source of great satisfaction.
It is worth noting that as scholars, we should always maintain a humble attitude at all times. Humility leads to progress, and we are willing to share this with the younger generation of scholars.