The U.S.-China Stability-Instability Paradox: Limited War in East Asia

Many analysts compare today’s U.S.-China rivalry with the one between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War. This article draws on the stability-instability paradox to compare the prospect for limited war. The authors find that limited conventional war—which may escalate to a limited nuclear war—is more likely in maritime East Asia than a land war was in Cold War Europe.