Why do rising powers sometimes challenge an international order that
enables their growth, and at other times support an order that
constrains them? Ascending Order offers the first comprehensive study of
conflict and cooperation as new powers join the global arena.
International institutions shape the choices of rising states as they
pursue equal status with established powers. Open membership rules and
fair decision-making procedures facilitate equality and cooperation,
while exclusion and unfairness frequently produce conflict. Using
original and robust archival evidence, the book examines these dynamics
in three cases: the United States and the maritime laws of war in the
mid-nineteenth century; Japan and naval arms control in the interwar
period; and India and nuclear non-proliferation in the Cold War. This
study shows that the future of contemporary international order depends
on the ability of international institutions to address the status
ambitions of rising powers such as China and India.