Conservatism and the KissingerMao Axis: Development of the Twin Global Orders

(Hardback)

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Kissingers dual-purpose instrument of the US-China and US-Soviet dtente was devised to achieve a stable balance of power in the contemporary world in the second half of the 1960s. Stimulated by both Kissingers doctrine and the historical novel, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Maos global order of tripolarity was created to feature the new US-China relations in the early 1970s with his initiative of the ping-pong diplomacy through this Kissinger-Mao axis. This made his quest for a modernization revolution possible with the Western market oriented approach. Strengthening Maos modernization program, Xiaopings good-neighborhood policy was designed to induce the world to help modernize China. Vitally including Russia with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Dengs policy helped maintain a peaceful and stable international environment, though it also marked the end of Maos global order. Perceiving the PRCs rise as a threat to its dominance in the Asia Pacific region, the US containment effort was enhanced with US-Japanese collusion and siding with the Philippines and Vietnam in relevant maritime disputes with the PRC. The US united with the Republic of Korea, nations in Southeast Asia, and Australia in establishing a wide-range alliance to go against the China threat. The post-Cold War, eastward expansion of the US-led NATO and the Russian determination to be a great power again, contributed to tension with the United States. The Russian desire to maintain its nuclear deterrent capability was at odds with the US missile defense plans. Thus, the US deployment of its missile shield in Eastern Europe as part of its strategic configuration in Alaska and the Far East was to contain Russia from both the Far East and Europe.

Reviews

Lai Sing Lam draws on his deep appreciation of the role that history plays in diplomacy by showing, in Conservatism and the Kissinger-Mao Axis, how the historically-informed strategic ideas of the two central protagonists aligned in the early 1970s to shape the contemporary international order. As it traces the story of the tripolar world order emerging after the creation of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949, and its transformation into a bipolar world order after 1996, this book offers fresh insights into Maos thinking. Its stress on the deeply conservative foundations of both Kissingers and Maos positions is a useful antidote to romantics and revolutionaries alike. For those of us keen to understand the logic of Chinas current strategic moves, and how we got here, this book is essential reading. -- David Lovell, Professor of Political Science
This is a unique and thought-provoking work with both Eastern and Western perspectives. In both theoretical and historical interpretations of the twin global orders created by the ideological opposites of Mao and Kissinger, the book's originality as well as depth is impressive. No other comparable works exist in the field of international politics. -- CL Chiou, University of Queensland, Australia, Reader in Politics

Author Bio

Lai Sing Lam is an independent scholar.