Sino-American Crisis Management and the U.S.-Japan Alliance

Book

Sino-American Crisis Management and the U.S.-Japan Alliance

An assessment of the degree to which Washington and Beijing are willing or able to implement crisis management principles like maintaining direct channels of communication and preserving military flexibility.

By Michael D. Swaine

Published on Jan 29, 2009

Source: In The Japan-U.S. Alliance and China-Taiwan Relations

An examination of “political-military crisis” and “crisis management” in the context of Sino-U.S. relations. Swaine identifies several key principles of successful crisis management: among them, maintain direct channels of communication and send signals that are clear, specific, and detailed; preserve limited objectives and limited means on behalf of such objectives, and sacrifice unlimited goals; and preserve military flexibility, escalate slowly, and respond symmetrically (in a “tit-for-tat” manner). It assess the degree to which Washington and Beijing are willing or able to implement these principles, and examines the difficulties involved in applying such principles to a Sino-U.S. crisis over Taiwan in particular. Swaine concludes with some observations on the implications of this analysis for the U.S.-Japan alliance and Japanese crisis behavior and offers some recommendations.

About the Author

Michael D. Swaine

Former Senior Fellow, Asia Program

Swaine was a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and one of the most prominent American analysts in Chinese security studies.

Recent Work

Other
What Kind of Global Order Should Washington and Beijing Strive For?
- Michael D. Swaine
Commentary
A Smarter U.S. Strategy for China in Four Steps
- Michael D. Swaine

North America United States East Asia China Taiwan Japan Political Reform Security Military Foreign Policy

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Diwan
Shockwaves Across the Gulf
The countries in the region are managing the fallout from Iranian strikes in a paradoxical way.
Angie Omar
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Taking the Pulse: Is France’s New Nuclear Doctrine Ambitious Enough?
French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his country’s new nuclear doctrine. Are the changes he has made enough to reassure France’s European partners in the current geopolitical context?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
Commentary
The Iran War’s Dangerous Fallout for Europe
The drone strike on the British air base in Akrotiri brings Europe’s proximity to the conflict in Iran into sharp relief. In the fog of war, old tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean risk being reignited, and regional stakeholders must avoid escalation.
Marc Pierini
Commentary
Diwan
The U.S. Risks Much, but Gains Little, with Iran
In an interview, Hassan Mneimneh discusses the ongoing conflict and the myriad miscalculations characterizing it.
Michael Young
Paper
India’s Foreign Policy in the Age of Populism
Domestic mobilization, personalized leadership, and nationalism have reshaped India’s global behavior.
Sandra Destradi

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary

Diwan

Shockwaves Across the Gulf

The countries in the region are managing the fallout from Iranian strikes in a paradoxical way.

Angie Omar

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Taking the Pulse: Is France’s New Nuclear Doctrine Ambitious Enough?

French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his country’s new nuclear doctrine. Are the changes he has made enough to reassure France’s European partners in the current geopolitical context?

Rym Momtaz, ed.

Commentary

The Iran War’s Dangerous Fallout for Europe

The drone strike on the British air base in Akrotiri brings Europe’s proximity to the conflict in Iran into sharp relief. In the fog of war, old tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean risk being reignited, and regional stakeholders must avoid escalation.

Marc Pierini

Commentary

Diwan

The U.S. Risks Much, but Gains Little, with Iran

In an interview, Hassan Mneimneh discusses the ongoing conflict and the myriad miscalculations characterizing it.

Michael Young

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wearing an orange cap, and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, dressed in saffron robes, are greeting supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a roadshow ahead of the Indian General Elections in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, on April 6, 2024.

Paper

India’s Foreign Policy in the Age of Populism

Domestic mobilization, personalized leadership, and nationalism have reshaped India’s global behavior.

Sandra Destradi