Journal Article - Quarterly Journal: International Security

The Peril of Peaking Powers: Economic Slowdowns and Implications for China’s Next Decade

| Summer 2023

Summary

If a rising power is profiting from the existing order, why would it disrupt that progress with reckless expansion? One reason is slowing economic growth. Over the past 150 years, peaking powers have been the most dangerous kind of country. An extended period of rapid growth equipped them with the means to shake up the world, and then a protracted growth slowdown motivated them to move aggressively to try to rekindle their rise.

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:

Michael Beckley, "The Peril of Peaking Powers: Economic Slowdowns and Implications for China’s Next Decade," International Security 48, no. 1 (Summer 2023), 7–46, https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00463.

The Author