ABSTRACT
Gradualism had been an attempt to get the two superpowers of the mid-to-late twentieth century to walk back from the precipice of the Cold War that threatened to consume the world in a nuclear holocaust. Gradualism thus receded from the US foreign-policy discussion during this period and was seen as having the most relevance for regional and middle powers. China is not a revolutionary power that seeks to spread its ideology throughout the world, there is no ideological basis for a Cold War-style rivalry between the two powers. That leaves geopolitical friction. Mutually Assured Restraint (MAR) is meant to provide an escape from the "Thucydides Trap" by reducing the prospects of an incident or accident that could spark confrontations. The China engagement strategy that has been the bedrock of the US approach over the past thirty years, even as it has gone through different phases, has been seen as preferable to forcible containment or outright appeasement.
