Competition in the international system is the fundamental, enduring contest among states for power, wealth, status, and influence. Primarily driven by major powers, this systemic competition occurs in an anarchic environment where nations maneuver to shape global norms, institutions, and the balance of power in their favor. The current stage is characterized by the rise of the Chinese role versus the decline of the American role . This means that China has become an important global player, which may lead to a change in the structure of the international system from a unipolar system to a bipolar or multipolar system. As Charles Krauthammer noted in his article "The Unipolar Moment," America must lead the world and maintain its dominance in the international system. However, this objective is facing serious challenges due to the redistribution of power in the international system among the three great powers: the United States, China, and Russia. Historical experience suggests that war is a possibility, but with these three nuclear powers, the situation is different. A global war between the great powers is not the preferred option because it would devastate the entire world. The alternative would be proxy wars, leading to global instability, leaving other powers vulnerable, and diminishing their ability to challenge the dominant power. The research problem lies in the impact of power redistribution and the narrowing economic gap between the United States and China on US-China relations. This raises the following central question: What factors govern the relationship between a rising power and a leading power in the international system? And what are the future scenarios? Several sub-questions stem from this main question: Will China abandon the current "liberal" international order, or will it integrate into this system and its institutions? Will the two countries choose interdependence, leading to security and stability? Will there be an alliance between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea against the United States, leading to a multipolar world order Will Russia align with the United States against China, thus reinforcing America's unipolar role and leadership? We will attempt to answer these questions by examining the theories of international relations most relevant to our topic: offensive realism, defensive realism, and liberalism or interdependence
Hussein Maklad (Mon,) studied this question.