Book review of "Bandwagoning in International Relations: China, Russia, and Their Neighbors"

Congratulations to Dylan Motin (Kangwon National University, Korea), the author of the book "Bandwagoning in International Relations: China, Russia, and Their Neighbors" for receiving a review appearing on 'E-International Relations' - Feb 29 2024. Reviewer: Alexandre Haym:

Overall, the book presents the first full-fledged neorealist attempt to explain bandwagoning. The argument is logical, clearly stated, and consistent with prior neorealist scholarship. The demonstration is suitable, but the book will mostly preach to the realist choir. Nonetheless, non-realist readers will also find insightful information, as it will likely provide a yardstick to discuss bandwagoning for the coming years.

[Extract from book review appearing on 'E-International Relations' - Feb 29 2024. Reviewer: Alexandre Haym]

Find out more about the book here: "Bandwagoning in International Relations: China, Russia, and Their Neighbors"

Whether states balance against or bandwagon with threatening great powers remains an unsolved problem for international relations theory. One school argues that military power compels minor powers to accommodate threats, while another defends that it elicits balancing instead. With the emergence of potential hegemons in both Asia and Europe — namely China and Russia — understanding state alignment is more urgent than ever. This book shows that bandwagoning has been a rare choice in contemporary Asia and Europe. The only states that chose bandwagoning with China or Russia faced both conflicts with third rivals and low levels of U.S. assistance. Going further, I divide bandwagoning between full alignment, survival accommodation, and profit accommodation. Bandwagoners choose among these three options based on the severity of the threat posed by the potential hegemon, the intensity of third conflicts, and the level of U.S. assistance. I test this novel theory against three European (Armenia, Belarus, and Serbia) and four Asian (Cambodia, Myanmar, North Korea, and Pakistan) cases. This study is the first to provide an exhaustive and compelling explanation of bandwagoning fully compatible with neorealism and adds to the balancing-bandwagoning debate. Beyond scholarly implications, this research’s findings offer advice for policymakers concerned with the changing balance of power in Asia and Europe and how to counter China and Russia’s influence.

Title Bandwagoning in International Relations: China, Russia, and Their Neighbors [Hardback]
Edition 1st
ISBN 978-1-64889-833-4
Published in January 2024