Pardee Center Hosts Book Talk on “China’s Civilian Army“
On November 2, 2021, the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, an affiliated center at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, hosted a virtual book talk on China’s Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy (Oxford University Press 2021). This event is hosted by the Rising Powers Initiative (RPI), a research program at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.
In the book, author Peter Martin tells the story of China’s transformation from an isolated and impoverished communist state to a global superpower from the perspective of its diplomats. China’s Civilian Army charts the history of China’s diplomatic corps from its earliest days through to the present, drawing on the memoirs of more than a hundred retired diplomats and dozens of interviews.
The event featured Martin as well as Pardee School professors Joeseph Fewsmith, Professor of International Relations and Political Science; Jorge Heine, Research Professor, as moderator; and Min Ye, Associate Professor of International Relations.
In his remarks, Martin commented on China’s constant struggle to communicate with the world and how its modern diplomatic strategy seems to be a balance of confrontational “Wolf Warrior Diplomacy” and the need to charm the world and win friends for China. Responding to Martin’s comments, Ye discussed the underlying motivations behind China’s competitive diplomatic strategy, Fewsmith outlined the history of Wolf Warrior diplomacy and how it has hurt China’s public image, and Heine argued that China’s approach has actually empowered its diplomats in a time when other countries have curtailed their roles.
A recording of the event can be viewed below.
The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future is an interdisciplinary research center affiliated with the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. Through programs of scholarship, outreach, and education, the Pardee Center works to improve public decision-making and policy to train future generations of interdisciplinary scholars. Read more about the Pardee Center on their website.