AbstractsPolitical Science

Due to the security dilemma in the anarchical system of states as explained by John Mearsheimer, states are in a perpetual security competition. Some states however, according to Stephen Waltz, are in a position to determine their position in this competition. These states however go above and beyond what is considered the main unit of analysis of states and are defined as abstract entities known as great powers. Their identities historically have been highlighted, however their composition has been contested. This project scientifically aims to look at the three most agreeable compositions of national power: the economic, the military and the political capabilities. It delineates whether China has amounted enough of these units of analysis to be deemed a great power in the region of East Asia.