The problem of rising powers in international politics -- The struggle for recognition : state identity and the problem of social uncertainty in international politics -- The social construction of revisionism : (mis)recognition and the struggle for major power status -- Weltpolitik : the German aspiration for world power status -- Recognition refused : the tragedy of German naval ambition before the First World War -- Looking outward : the American aspiration for world power status -- Recognition and rapprochement : America's peaceful rise -- Rising powers and the future of the international order.

"As Bush I took the United States into the Gulf War he proclaimed it an "historic moment" that would afford the United States "the opportunity to forge for ourselves and for future generations a new world order." This unipolar moment for the US was anchored in a dense web of economic, political, and military institutions that allowed it to assert its power worldwide. Two decades later the United States still holds this power position but, as history demonstrates, its moment will inevitably come to an end as new great powers, like China, rise and challenge the prevailing international order. Leaders in the United States have emphasized that a strong and prosperous China has the potential to be a stabilizing force in the world. Even so, many analysts worry that as China's power continues to grow, so too will the assertiveness of its foreign policy and territorial ambitions, leading to an inevitable clash with the United States over the terms of the international order. Thus, the challenge facing policymakers-and the subject of this book-is the question of what happens when an established power and a rising power meet? Or, rather, how can an established power manage the peaceful rise of a new major power? This book provides a framework, grounded in the struggle of rising powers for recognition, for understanding the social factors that shape the outcome of a power transition"-- Provided by publisher.