Legitimacy, War and the Rise of China: An International Political Sociology Perspective

Abstract

Abstract According to international political sociology (IPS), culture, identity and legitimacy play an indispensably important role in the structuring and socializing of international political behavior, and the ability to wage legitimate wars constitutes an important part of a nation's soft national power. Since the 1894 Sino-Japanese war, which marked the lowest point of China's fall in modern history, China has altogether taken part in about seven legitimate wars during its increase in comprehensive national power—namely, the First World War, the Sino-Russian Frontier War, the undeclared Sino-Japanese War between 1931 and 1941, the World Anti-Fascism War from 1941 to 1945, The War Resisting U.S. Aggression and Aiding North Korea in the early 1950s, the Sino-Indian Frontier war in 1962, and the Sino-Vietnam Frontier War The hundred-year rise in China's national power benefits a lot from Chinese just revolution and legitimate wars. With the advent of the post-September 11 strategic era, China faces oppo...