A U.S.-China Grand Bargain? The Hard Choice between Military Competition and Accommodation

ade, China’s rise has generated much attention, admiration, and concern. Whether China can rise peacefully remains a heavily debated issue, with political scientists worrying about the dangers of power transitions, aspiring regional hegemons, and growing nationalism.1 In response to China’s economic and military growth, the administration of Barack Obama has rebalanced U.S. foreign and security policy toward Asia, a decision that is generating considerable debate over whether the United States is doing too little or too much to confront China. Despite this intense focus, the United States has yet to confront fully the most challenging question posed by China’s rise: Should the United States pursue a strategy of limited geopolitical accommodation to avoid conoict?2 Instead, U.S. policy continues to focus entirely on preserving the geopolitical status quo in Northeast Asia. This article argues that a more fundamental revision of U.S. policy is