Journal Article - Quarterly Journal: International Security

Strategic Substitution: China’s Search for Coercive Leverage in the Information Age

    Author:
  • Fiona Cunningham
| Summer 2022

Summary

After the mistaken U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999, China turned to information-age weapons such as cyberattacks to increase its coercive leverage over the United States. China calculated that it could use these weapons strategically to create a risk of escalation to nuclear war with the United States. China combines its information-age capabilities with a retaliatory nuclear posture to compensate for its conventional military inferiority. This shift is explained by a theory of strategic substitution.

Want to Read More?

The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.
Read Full Article
For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:

Fiona S. Cunningham, "Strategic Substitution: China’s Search for Coercive Leverage in the Information Age," International Security, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Summer 2022), pp. 46–92, https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00438.

The Author

Recommended
In the Spotlight
RSS
Deteriorating relations with Russia, nuclear rivalry, a changing Arctic, and Arctic-oriented military capability are returning the Arctic to the strategic role it had in the Cold War, writes Steven E. Miller.
The Belfer Center's 2022 annual report takes a look back at Center highlights and activities of its nearly 20 research areas and ahead to critical new and continuing work on issues ranging from security to climate.
Amritha Jayanti discusses Starlink technology used in the Russia-Ukraine war and the opportunities and pitfalls of commercial technology use in crisis situations.
Most Viewed

Tags