Geostrategic Psychology and the Rise of Forbearance

Based on the framework of geostrategic psychology, this book elucidates the intrinsic law of the rise and fall of great powers and gives insights into the quandary of China’s rise and the mechanism behind the strategy.

Conflating geopolitics and strategic psychology, geostrategic psychology is rooted in the historical study of strategy and premised on an assumption that human beings bear resemblance in psychology and behavior when facing the same structure of geopolitical circumstance. The book analyzes intriguing phenomena from strategic psychology, including trend anxiety and conflict willingness, the Old Man Phenomenon in international politics, the Santa Claus Effect, the Myth of the Sunk Cost Fallacy, Bidder Myth, Gambler’s Game, Philip Trap, William’s Dilemma, Heartland Myth, Domino’s Fear, Golden Nation Myth, Alliance Commitment Dilemma and Corinthian Dilemma among others. The author combines theory, history and the practice of international politics, revealing how a nation can occupy a favorable position in the field of global strategic competition and prospects for China.

The title will be a valuable reference for observers of international politics as well as researchers and students interested in international relations, international politics, geopolitics, strategic psychology and geostrategic psychology.

Jiang Peng is Associate Professor at Sun Yat-Sen University, China. His research fields include the theory of Western international relations, theory of the rise of great powers, geopolitics and history of modern international relations.