Contesting Revisionism

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What motivates states to act as they do? This work examines a specific motivation that drives states to challenge existing international norms and institutions, focusing on the concept of revisionism, which has been underexplored in international relations. The authors critique current discourse on revisionism and analyze the historical origins and evolution of revisionist states' foreign policy. They introduce indicators to assess and compare the revisionist tendencies of contemporary China and the U.S. Challenging the assumption that historical patterns will repeat, they argue that "hard" revisionism, characterized by war and conquest, is less viable today. Instead, "soft" revisionism, aimed at promoting institutional change, is more relevant. The authors particularly focus on Sino-American relations, asserting that much of the existing discourse based on power transition theory is flawed. They contend that a dominant power is not necessarily committed to defending the international order, nor does a rising power typically possess a revisionist agenda. The transformation of international order does not require a power transition between China and the U.S., nor does such a transition inevitably lead to conflict.