Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1
presents annualized data collected by an analysis of the table of
contents of these four elite journals. The data clearly indicates that Indian
journals were significantly more concerned with China, than the Chinese
journals were with India. For three out of four years, China-concerned articles in
the
Indian Defence Review
exceeded Indian-concerned articles in
Guoji wenti
yanjiu,
and by a margin of at least 2 to 1. Only in one year, 1997, did
Guoji
wenti yanjiu
exceed
Indian Defense Review
. Regarding
Strategic Analysis
and
Xiandai guoji guanxi,
for each of the four years compared, other-concerned
articles in the Indian journal out numbered those in the Chinese journals by at
least 4.5 to 1, with the difference in two years reaching ratios of 7.5 to 1 and 6.5
to 1.
Comparing the number of other-focused articles by each journal in each
publication period yields a more complete comparison, plus a larger number of
data points thereby permitting statistical tests of the significance of variation.
The data is presented in this fashion in
Table 2
.
The mean number of China-focused articles in the two Indian journals was 1.
604. The mean for India-focused articles in the two Chinese journals was 0.396.
An n of 47 (with 17 null sets) yields a set large enough to perform simple
statistical tests of significance. A T-test on the difference between these two
means indicates 99 per cent confidence in significant variation.
As
Table 2
indicates, in only seven of a total of 128 publication periods did the
number of India-focused articles in the two Chinese journals exceed the number
of China-focused articles in the comparable Indian journal. In 36 publication
periods, the number of China-focused articles in Indian journals exceeded the
number of India-focused articles in comparable Chinese journals. When the
number of India-focused articles in Chinese journals was greater, it never
exceeded the ratio of 2 to 1. In seven publications periods in which Indian
concern with China exceeded Chinese concern with India, on the other hand, in
seven cases the ratio was between 3 to 1 and 6 to 1. Throughout the four-year
period, there was a total of 77 China-focused articles in the two Indian journals,
compared to 19 India-focused articles in Chinese journals. This data makes it
clear that Indian concern for China, as manifested in elite policy journals,
substantially exceeded Chinese concern for India.
A CASE STUDY OF COGNITIVE ASYMMETRY: INDIA'S
1998 TESTS
A recent and important example of asymmetrical Chinese and Indian threat
perceptions came during the imbroglio over India's May 1998 nuclear tests.
Indian policy at that juncture reflected deep concerns over threats from China.
(This is a proposition that runs counter to much of the accepted wisdom in the
