American civil-military relations and foreign policy toward China

Understanding American foreign policy is especially important due to the currently uncertain global security environment. I focus on understanding civil-military relations due to its important role in creating American foreign policy. I created a new theory of civil military relations by extending agency theory by re-formulating civil-military relations as a two level game. I further contend that there are multiple actors attempting to control the military by utilizing mechanisms of varying intrusiveness. Once the military receives orders they need to decide whether to work or to shirk based upon the likelihood of being detected or of receiving punishment if shirking occurs. I also employ power transition theory as guide to American foreign policy because it focuses the attention on the most serious threat to American dominance, China. Therefore, managing China's future ascendance to avoid a potential great power war should be the central focus of United States foreign policy.