A Comparative Analysis of US-China Foreign Policy in the Myanmar Crisis through the Lens of Realist Constructivism

Abstract

This study applies the framework of realist constructivism to analyze the foreign policy responses of China and the United States to the 2021 Myanmar crisis. Our research explores how the rivalry between these two global powers has exacerbated the crisis and hindered efforts toward regional stability. Using qualitative data from diplomatic statements, official documents and media reports, this study identifies key differences in the foreign policy approaches of China and the United States. This comparative analysis demonstrates how realist constructivism offers a comprehensive framework for understanding state behavior in geopolitical crises like the US-China competition in Myanmar—a new Cold War dynamic characterized by strategic divergence and the legitimizing of foreign policy through a shared reliance on identity-driven moral claims, highlighting the co-constitutive interplay of power, norms and identity.