A Comprehensive Concept of Power in International Relations

Abstract

Power is defined in this book as the ability to achieve and/or sustain a desired goal. It is seen as an issue-specific ability, and it should not be mistaken for sources of power, exercise of power, or influence. Assessing the power of an actor by looking at its sources of power and outcomes is the best available method for approximations of the actual power. To take into account all potentially relevant sources of power, three levels of power sources will be considered—the state, international, and societal levels. One should consider the specific intentions of the given country, for different policy goals may require different sets of power sources. In this thesis, altogether eight areas of power will be considered to form a sufficiently comprehensive assessment of the examined actor’s power. In the critical engagement with the published works on China’s power, it was shown that even literature which deals directly with China’s power does not necessarily present the full and up-to-date story. It can be suggested that the topic of China’s power and its influence on its foreign policy in general, and after 2008 in particular, is significantly under-researched. Based on the conceptual understanding of power and the discussion of China’s power, it is argued here that it is mainly due to a lack of rigorous and comprehensive work with the key concept of power both within the China watchers’ community and among scholars of international relations in general.