Combining neoclassical realism and political psychology, this book conducts a Cost Dynamics analysis of the goal, power, and will of the U.S. and China. It argues that while the strategic competition between the two countries is intense, it sustains a fragile balance of competition without outright conflict.
Addressing both opportunity and audience costs, the book explores how domestic variables such as strategic culture and leadership cognition influence the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. Case studies demonstrate that the complex differences in goal, power, and will result in persistent strategic and policy misalignments, while simultaneously creating mutual constraints that prevent escalation to full-scale conflict. In the field of artificial intelligence, the book introduces “technological power” as a “fluid” variable to analyze the flow of technology and structural complementarity. It concludes that building a “resilient” U.S.–China relationship does not require eliminating competition or concealing differences, but rather managing risks by recognizing each other’s strategic bottom lines and political constraints.
This book will appeal to scholars and students of political science, international relations, and U.S.–China relations.
Table of Contents:
1: Neoclassical Realism and Psychology of Costs 2: Divergent Goals and Cost Dynamics 3: Contested Powers: Strategic Cultures at War? 4: A Clash of Wills: Psychological Boundaries of Strategic Competition 5: Taiwan Issue: Mixed Pressures vs. Bottom Lines 6: The South China Sea Issue: Strategic Gaming under a “Two-Tiered Structure” 7: The Fluidity of “Technological Power”: Limits of Technological Decoupling
About the Author :
Kai Jin is a Visiting Fellow at the Yonsei Institute for Sinology, Yonsei University, South Korea. His academic interests include China-South Korea relations and China-U.S. relations. His current research project focuses on the interactions between great and middle powers—particularly in East Asia—through the lenses of neoclassical realism and political psychology.
Review :
“A Tale of Two Systems offers a fresh and thought-provoking framework for understanding one of the defining geopolitical relationships of the twenty-first century. Moving beyond conventional structural explanations, Kai Jin demonstrates how strategic goals, relative power, and political will—together with psychological and emotional dynamics—shape the trajectory of U.S.-China competition. Combining theoretical innovation with careful analysis of contemporary international politics, the book challenges readers to rethink the sources of great-power rivalry and its implications for global order. It is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the forces driving the increasingly consequential relationship between the United States and China.”
Suisheng Zhao, Professor, Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs, University of Denver, and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Contemporary China
