Conclusion

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the perceptions of United States (US) decline and strategies to cope with a rising China in Asia-Pacific, followed by an examination of the perceptions of these issues in Europe. While the material distribution of power is fundamental to the balance of power, perceptions also matter greatly. Some observers see a disconnect between the perception that China is the more significant power in Southeast Asia and the hard fact that US power remains pervasive. Robert Lieber argues that US hegemony is likely to endure but that its maintenance is contingent on the exercise of US leadership. Indeed, America maintains a significant lead in the material distribution of power, but its predominance has eroded. Mistrust of China is clearly present in Japan. As Clifton Sherrill explains, Japan explicitly recognizes an ongoing shift in power but anticipates a multipolar order, with the US remaining primus inter pares, rather than a hegemonic transition favoring China.