Mao Zedong & China's Foreign Policy - by Amrita Jash (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book analyses China's foreign policy from 1949 to 1976 through a cognitive-perceptual lens, emphasise Mao Zedong's central role as the primary decision making authority. Moving beyond realist frameworks, it highlights how Mao's ideological worldview--shaped by his 'theory of contradictions', revolutionary zeal, and use of historical analogies--drove China's foreign policy, particularly in relation to Vietnam. His subjective interpretation of global affairs, reinforced by Marxist-Leninist principles and China's historical identity, guided key strategic decisions. The study underscores the importance of individual leaders' beliefs, perceptions, and psychological traits in shaping foreign policy, offering broader implications for understanding international relations through cognitive and psychological approaches.

From the Back Cover

This book analyses China's foreign policy from 1949 to 1976 through a cognitive-perceptual lens, emphasise Mao Zedong's central role as the primary decision making authority. Moving beyond realist frameworks, it highlights how Mao's ideological worldview--shaped by his 'theory of contradictions', revolutionary zeal, and use of historical analogies--drove China's foreign policy, particularly in relation to Vietnam. His subjective interpretation of global affairs, reinforced by Marxist-Leninist principles and China's historical identity, guided key strategic decisions. The study underscores the importance of individual leaders' beliefs, perceptions, and psychological traits in shaping foreign policy, offering broader implications for understanding international relations through cognitive and psychological approaches.

Dr. Amrita Jash is Assistant Professor at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Institute of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Institute of Eminence) in India. She holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She was a Pavate Fellow at the University of Cambridge and an IAS Visiting Fellow at Loughborough University. Dr. Jash is also the author of China's Japan Policy: Learning from the Past, and The Concept of Active Defence in China's Military Strategy.

About the Author

Dr. Amrita Jash is Assistant Professor at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Institute of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Institute of Eminence) in India. She holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She was a Pavate Fellow at the University of Cambridge and an IAS Visiting Fellow at Loughborough University. Dr. Jash is also the author of China's Japan Policy: Learning from the Past, and The Concept of Active Defence in China's Military Strategy.