The analysis contained in this paper deals with the rise of China and its consequences for the transatlantic relationship. It charts an overview of the diverging way in which the EU and US engage with Beijing, underlining that the EU’s fledgling partnership with China sometimes renders the US anxious, especially when it comes to strategic areas.
Through focusing on sensitive transfers of European technologies to the PRC, the study explores the triangular China-EU-US relationship, which constitutes a key area in the fields of International Security and International Political Economy. Two case studies are included: the discussion about the potential lifting of the European arms embargo on China, as well as Chinese participation in the EU’s Galileo satellite system. The dissertation’s conclusions shed greater light on the structural architecture of the different relationships.
Drawing on the theories and cases presented, it can be clearly seen that while strategic and structural factors are valuable to analyse the international pressures that shape decision-making environments, variables from a deeper level (pressures from domestic interest groups as well as the EU’s internal institutional structure) also have a profound impact on the power dynamics present in this strategic triangle.
Dries Belet is a MSc graduate from the London School of Economics. He now works as a trainee in the European External Action Service’s unit for relations with Asia Pacific.
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January 27, 2011
Jeff Hathor
To improve cross-cultural communications we look for similarities in our cultures. Immanuel Kant in his book Introduction to Logic, said that understanding is the faculty of thinking and that understanding is governed in its actions by rules which we can investigate.
Since this is a Think Tank and we are thinking about improving relations between China and the West, I will attempt to show some similarities between China and Europe Thinking. Specifically showing how the Baguazhang 8 diagram strategy would fit with some popular Europe thinkers.
Charles Darwin (United Kingdom). One must adapt and be strong to survive.
Guiding Strategies from Ancient China 8 diagram strategy to help in our survivability:
Lion – Creativity, expressing oneself, decide on a path and follow it through.
Dear – Receptivity, being receptive to new adventurous ideas that build on existing foundations, always learning, stay with the ancient move with the new.
Monkey – Adaptability, reading the situation and preparing oneself to function within those parameters.
Bear – Stability, knowing your strengths and using those strengths to succeed.
Hawk – Clarity – Use your logic to understand the situation.
Snake – Mystery, use your intuition to understand the mysteries.
Dragon – Awakening, continued study and experience in a particular subject leads to enlightenment within the subject area.
Phoenix – Wind, moving with the winds of change and letting those winds guide you to where you can provide balance and harmony to a new area.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (French)
We improve based on the things we practice. Continued practice makes us advance or evolve forward in those categories.
Le pouvoir de la vie: The complexifying force
Lamarck referred to a tendency for organisms to become more complex, moving 'up' a ladder of progress.
L'influence des circonstances: The adaptive force
The second component of Lamarck's theory of evolution was the adaptation of organisms to their environment.
Lamarck argued that this adaptive force was powered by the interaction of organisms with their environment.
Baguazhang also believes that change is the natural order of things and that our thinking and our abilities must adapt to the situation. The example of this is the Willow Leaf palm which is holding the palm of the hand slightly cupped with the fingers and thumb tight together and like the Phoenix flow quickly with the winds of change.
Our example here is to show how all this has helped our evolving civilization? Let us take a quick walk through our collective advancement. I will start with the perspective of people working to provide for their basic needs (Food, water, shelter, and clothing).
Hunter Gatherer
Small teams or tribes of individuals band together to support each other in hunting, foraging for plants, making clothes from animal skins, building small shelters, making simples tools for hunting, cooking and carrying water. Basic skills are needed to provide for basic needs.
Farmer
Larger teams of individuals work together to farm known edible plants. Being able to stay in one place longer and sustain larger populations creates the need for larger shelters (buildings), transporting larger amounts of food and supplies create the need for carts. Intermediate skills are now needed to provide for basic needs.
Engineer
Greater populations create the need for engineers to build cities, roads, work buildings and machines to provide for increasing needs of an expanding population. Explorers venture out on horseback and in ships to make contact and trade with other cultures. Advanced skills and tools are needed to provide for basic needs.
Communicators
Global multicultural organizations are developed which require superior logistics supports networks. The ability to communicate quickly and effectively becomes paramount to planning and organizing a complex network of people and machines. Superior skills and tools are now needed to provide for the basic needs of the world.
Ecologists
Extreme population growth and advancement machinery and capabilities become so great that we can now damage the environment that is required to sustain life on our planet. Scientists are now required to study all aspects of nature and our interaction with nature to recommend best practices for long term survival of the human and other species. Extreme skills and tools are now needed to provide for the long term provision of our needs.
Conclusion
From this perspective it is possible to observe Lamarck and Ba Gua Evolution in action. Our civilization using both the complexifying force and the Adaptive force to provide for our survival needs. The most interesting thing to me is the formation of intermediate and advanced needs; education, social and cultural skills such as languages, telephones, transportation, computers. Intermediate and advanced needs become part of the equation required for survival in an advancing civilization.
Aristotle (Greek) One perception different expressions. Aristotle listed the ways in which humans categorize things to improve our ability to analyze and communicate.
Examples:
Substance = Man or Horse.
Quantity = two foot, four foot.
Qualification = green, grammatical.
Relative to = double, half, larger.
Where / location = in a city, in the market place.
When = yesterday, next year.
Being in a position = lying, sitting, standing.
Synonym. Animals = both a bird and an ox are animals.
Socrates (Greek) put it that we should be like a 2 horse chariot driver.
Left horse is wild, emotional and physical.
Right horse is logical, wise and rational.
The driver is beyond both, enlightened, yet able to use both.
Confucius (Chinese) studying the I-Ching 64 combinations of the Bagua would make one a genius problem solver.
An enlightened sage would stand in the center of the Ba Gua circle able to analyze the situation and determine the best course of action based on the 8 primary strategies.
Conclusion: In a modern fast paced multi-tasking world turned super corporation where Immanuel Kant’s’ Critique of Pure Reason has been reduced to an individual critique of our performance with this statement: What were you thinking!!! We need a common ground for reason and understanding between a new capitalist China and the west. Europe appears to have the foundation for such understanding already in place. So our best chance of success in these affairs is for Europe to take the lead with China.
Jeff Hathor
Former US Army problem solver