The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said to represent the genesis of a Chinese grand strategy, has been placed within intensifying debates about power-transition theories. However, the relevant...Show moreThe Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said to represent the genesis of a Chinese grand strategy, has been placed within intensifying debates about power-transition theories. However, the relevant academic literature analyzes the BRI through economic and diplomatic lenses, failing to explore how it might lead to the aggravating of military tensions and eventually war between China and the United States. This thesis aims to bridge this literature gap by analyzing the BRI through relevant geopolitical, power-transition, and interdependence theories. After an empirical overview of the BRI, this thesis examines how Hegemonic Stability Theory, Mackinder’s Heartland Theory, and the Theory of Trade Expectations provide insightful looks into the present and future of the BRI, as well as into the latter’s potential to starkly increase the possibilities of war between Beijing and Washington. Results are mixed but far from promising, pointing to the urgent need for an exhaustive review of US-China relations by both key parties.Show less
