Quest for Status

“Political scientists Deborah Larson and Alexei Shevchenko contribute a valuable study to the expanding literature on Chinese and Russian foreign policy.”—J. R. Clardie, Choice

“A welcome and timely addition to the flourishing literature on status-seeking revisionism amongst rising Powers. . . . Quest for Status provides a serious and stimulating contribution to the scholarly and policy debates.”—Giuseppe Paparella, Diplomacy & Statecraft

“A thorough historical and theoretical examination of the status quests of China and Russia, this book offers a wealth of information and will be very useful to anyone trying to understand the behavior of these two states, as well as to policymakers attempting to craft strategic responses to rising powers.”—T. V. Paul, author of Restraining Great Powers: Soft Balancing from Empires to the Global Era

“Larson and Shevchenko offer a unique take on China’s and Russia’s tumultuous quests for status and the critical impact the West has had on their choices. This timely book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of assertive China, resurgent Russia, and the momentous change in world politics under way now.”—Yong Deng, professor of political science at the U.S. Naval Academy and author of China’s Struggle for Status: The Realignment of International Relations

“This long-awaited book is a major contribution to a global understanding of the two most important challengers to the U.S.-centered international order. Larson and Shevchenko offer a powerful socio-psychological analysis of Russia’s and China’s foreign policies.”—Andrei P. Tsygankov, San Francisco State University

“The fact that the Soviet Union both scorned its capitalist rivals and craved respect from them has long been a puzzle. Larson and Shevchenko unravel it by examining 500 years of Russian history and applying social identity theory to show the deep need for status and the alternative ways to gain it, including developing a new pecking order in which Russia has a high rank. The parallel analysis of China shows that this behavior characterizes other countries as well and is highly relevant for current world politics.”—Robert Jervis, author of How Statesmen Think