Why C hina's Rise May Not Cause Major Power‐Transition War: A Review Essay

This article seeks to review these theoretical debates in light of recent empirical evidence. The two publications are selected for two reasons. First, C hina's Ascent is a collection of contributions made by leading scholars in the field of international security and is based on different optimistic perspectives on the question of C hina's rise. The second publication, S outheast A sia and the Rise of C hina , was more recently published. Based on some of the theoretical insights and empirical evidence presented by the authors in the two volumes, I argue that the A sia‐ P acific region is bound to remain stable and potentially more peaceful if and when C hina becomes a liberal democracy.