Do Not Throw Them in the Same Basket: China and Russia Through the Perspective of US Engagement

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has applied a policy of engagement towards China and Russia. During the administration of Barack Obama, this approach led to two different outcomes: while the American relations with Russia reached their lowest point and international sanctions were imposed on Russia during his term, in the case of China, the US relations with it were better than prior to the election of Barack Obama. The goal of this article is to determine why this occurred. I come to the conclusion that China and Russia adopted different forms of engagement in regard to the US. While China has been working on its power and prestige in close cooperation with the United States, and therefore it should not be labeled as a “revisionist power”, Russia has tried to re-establish its power potential and international prestige in opposition to the United States. Therefore Russia can be called a “revisionist power”.