Rising Titans, Falling Giants

As a rising great power flexes its muscles on the political-military scene it must examine how to manage its relationships with states suffering from decline; and it has to do so in a careful and strategic manner. In Rising Titans, Falling Giants Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson focuses on the policies that rising states adopt toward their declining competitors in response to declining states' policies, and what that means for the relationship between the two.

Rising Titans, Falling Giants integrates disparate approaches to realism into a single theoretical framework, provides new insight into the sources of cooperation and competition in international relations, and offers a new empirical treatment of great power politics at the start and end of the Cold War. Shifrinson challenges the existing historical interpretations of diplomatic history, particularly in terms of the United States-China relationship. Whereas many analysts argue that these two nations are on a collision course, Shifrinson declares instead that rising states often avoid antagonizing those in decline, and highlights episodes that suggest the US-China relationship may prove to be far less conflict-prone than we might expect.

Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson is Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School of Boston University. He has published in International Security, Foreign Affairs, the Washington Quarterly, and other venues.

Shifrinson asks a great question, collects the best explanations, tests them fairly against the best evidence, and follows the evidence to its logical conclusion. He says things that are new, true, and nontrivial and has produced a book that is both timely and timeless. Long may titans and giants read it.

Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson's important book on Great Powers is a valuable contribution to research on the behaviour of the world's most important actors. Shifrinson has written an eminently readable book. His theory is elegant, his case-studies are well argued and his analysis is both clear and nimble. Most important, however, he is setting new standards for qualitative research

The United States attempted to prop up the United Kingdom's great-power status after World War II but sought to weaken the Soviet Union as it crumbled in the 1980s. In this book, Shifrinson provides an elegant theory to explain these variations.

Jeremi Suri, author of The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office:

Applying key insights from realism to the rise and fall of states, Shifrinson offers a compelling analysis of predation in the international system. He explains how rising states choose to support or weaken declining peers. Shifrinson’s account is theoretically sophisticated, this is a book that every scholar of international relations and contemporary history must read.

Jack Matlock, author of Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended, and Superpower Illusions.:

Rising Titans, Falling Giants provides an insightful and innovative interpretation of international behavior. It should be read and pondered by all those wishing to understand American foreign policy today.

Nuno Monteiro, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of International Security Studies, Yale University:

Rising Titans, Falling Giants fills a gap in the literature that had until now not been properly researched: how do rising states formulate their strategy toward their declining peers. Its theory is precise; the historical evidence it presents is convincing and sometimes novel. A must-read for those interested in world politics.