Lukes and Ye Offer Insight into Future U.S. Relations with China and Russia
Igor Lukes, Professor of International Relations and History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, and Min Ye, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, provided insight into the United States’ relationship with China and Russia as part of a BU Today piece featuring Boston University faculty forecasts for what to expect in the coming year.
The article, titled “War? More COVID? Irreversible Climate Change? What 2022 Could Bring,” features responses from BU faculty on issues such as climate change, COVID-19, politics, the media, and more. Lukes and Ye were asked to comment on the future of U.S.-Russia and U.S.-China relations respectively.
In his comments, Lukes said that relations between the West and Russia are troubled, especially in like of Russia’s military encroachment on Ukraine; however, he believes that it is not in the best interest for President Vladimir Putin to further escalate tensions and the West, particularly the U.S. to balance the scales and prevent a war with Russia.
When asked if U.S.-Chinese relations will deteriorate or improve this year, Ye says that they will likely remain the same as both countries continue to struggle with mounting domestic issues, including COVID-19, economic troubles, and political divisions. Given the divisions on issues such as Taiwan, technological acceleration, and Xinjiang, Ye speculates that the world should look beyond 2022 for stable and cooperative relations between the U.S. and China.
The full piece can be read on BU Today‘s website.
Igor Lukes is a past winner of the 1997 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2020 winner of the Gitner Prize for Faculty Excellence at the Pardee School. He writes primarily about Central Europe. His work has won the support of various other institutions, including Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, the Woodrow Wilson Center, IREX, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read more about Professor Lukes on his faculty profile.
Min Ye is the author of Diasporas and Foreign Direct Investment in China and India (Cambridge University Press, 2014), and The Making of Northeast Asia (with Kent Calder, Stanford University Press, 2010). Her most recent book, titled The Belt Road and Beyond: State-Mobilized Globalization in China: 1998–2018 (Cambridge University Press 2020), explores the motivations and strategies behind China’s global economic expansion and considers the implications of the country’s status as a global power on both China and the world. Read more about Professor Ye on her faculty profile.