Institutional Balancing in the Asia Pacific

Institutional Balancing in the Asia Pacific
Author: Kai He
Publisher: Taylor & Francis US
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2009
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 041546952X

This book examines the strategic interactions among China, the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asian States in the context of China’s rise and globalization after the cold war. Engaging the mainstream theoretical debates in international relations, the author introduces a new theoretical framework—institutional realism—to explain the institutionalization of world politics in the Asia-Pacific after the cold war. Institutional realism suggests that deepening economic interdependence creates a condition under which states are more likely to conduct a new balancing strategy—institutional balancing, i.e., countering pressures or threats through initiating, utilizing, and dominating multilateral institutions—to pursue security under anarchy. To test the validity of institutional realism, Kai He examines the foreign policies of the U.S., Japan, the ASEAN states, and China toward four major multilateral institutions, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Plus Three (APT), and East Asian Summit (EAS). Challenging the popular pessimistic view regarding China’s rise, the book concludes that economic interdependence and structural constraints may well soften the "dragon’s teeth." China’s rise does not mean a dark future for the region. Institutional Balancing in the Asia Pacificwill be of great interest to policy makers and scholars of Asian security, international relations, Chinese foreign policy, and U.S. foreign policy.

The Nexus of Economics, Security, and International Relations in East Asia

The Nexus of Economics, Security, and International Relations in East Asia
Author: Avery Goldstein
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2012-08-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0804783349

While, over the last 30 years, the global economy's center of gravity has shifted to East Asia, the region has remained surprisingly free of interstate military conflict. Yet this era of peace and growth has been punctuated by periodic reminders of enduring security problems in the region—from China's military modernization, to unresolved territorial disputes, to persistent tensions on the Korean peninsula. This volume is one of the first to treat these issues of economics and security as interconnected rather than separate. Its authors—leading scholars from the U.S. and China—shed new light on this important nexus by applying insights from a rich variety of approaches to explore and explain the dynamics of a region whose importance for students of both international political economy and international security has grown dramatically. They show that both economic and security 'fundamentals' matter if one is to understand the reasons for, and evaluate the durability of, East Asia's recent peace and prosperity.

Looking for Balance

Looking for Balance
Author: Steve Chan
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2013-07-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0804778477

Debate surrounding "China's rise," and the prospects of its possible challenge to America's preeminence, has focused on two questions: whether the United States should "contain" or "engage" China; and whether the rise of Chinese power has inclined other East Asian states to "balance" against Beijing by alignment with the United States or ramping up their military expenditures. By drawing on alternative theoretic approaches—most especially "balance-of-threat" theory, political economic theory, and theories of regime survival and economic interdependence, Steve Chan is able to create an explanation of regional developments that differs widely from the traditional "strategic vision" of national interest. He concludes that China's primary aim is not to match U.S. military might or the foreign policy influence that flows from that power, and that its neighbors are not balancing against its rising power because, in today's guns-versus-butter fiscal reality, balancing policies would entail forfeiting possible gains that can accrue from cooperation, economic growth, and the application of GDP to nonmilitary ends. Instead, most East Asian countries have collectively pivoted to a strategy of elite legitimacy and regime survival based on economic performance.

Fostering Monetary And Financial Cooperation In East Asia

Fostering Monetary And Financial Cooperation In East Asia
Author: Barry Eichengreen
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2009-04-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9814468185

Since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, there has been a deep and abiding desire on the part of Asian policy makers and opinion makers to enhance the region's economic, monetary and financial self-sufficiency — or at least to ring-fence the region against financial instability and give it a louder voice in global financial affairs. There has been progress in these directions, notably in the form of the Chiang Mai Initiative of financial supports and the Asian Bond Market Initiative to build a single Asian financial market. But progress is hindered by disagreements among the principal national governments — Japan, China and South Korea — and resistance to the development of an Asian bloc from both Europe and the United States.This volume considers these issues from a number of different national and analytical perspectives. Scholars from all the relevant regions and countries are represented: Japan, China, Korea, Europe and the United States. While there have been a few previous books and articles concerned with the issue of Asian integration, this is one of the first volumes to successfully draw together top contributors from these different countries and regions to address the issues in a rigorous but relatively accessible way.

East Asian Studies In The Perspective Of Regional Integration

East Asian Studies In The Perspective Of Regional Integration
Author: Xinbo Wu
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2018-05-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1938134982

East Asia is now experiencing significant economic growth and social change. Integration of East Asia seems an irresistible trend, as East Asian countries are closely interdependent with each other and share many common interests in economic development. This book analyzes the cooperation and challenges of East Asian countries in the process of integration. It includes 15 chapters in four sections. The first section discusses the impact of East Asia cooperation and economic integration. The second section emphasizes the election of political leadership in East Asia. The third section covers the topics of East Asian cultural identity, history and norms. The fourth section studies the relationship between East Asia and the World. The chapters are selected from two Trilateral symposia held in Seoul and Shanghai in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The Symposia offer comprehensive and diversified views of scholars from China, Korea and Japan.

East Asia in Transition

East Asia in Transition
Author: Ingyu Oh
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2021-10-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1527575926

Both the Cold War view and the so-called “clashes of civilization” view within the post-Cold War perspective of international relations fail to explain why the entirety of East Asia is experiencing a worsening of intranational and international confrontations in the 21st century, despite the high level of standards of living and the expanding freedom and democracy in the region. Hong Kong and Taiwan refuse to reunite with China despite their cultural and ethnic similarities, while South Korea and Japan are at loggerheads despite their long-term friendship and strategic alliance with the US. While Taiwan and Hong Kong are trying to maintain a distance from China, South Korea wants to become closer to China and North Korea than ever before. All these puzzles are explained by this book, using the fresh concept of “culture wars” that has been developed by minority scholars of international relations. Culture wars denote conflicts between peoples, nations, and states based purely on cultural differences, despite similar levels of economic and civilizational progress. What looms large in the East Asian culture war in the 21st century is the new conflict between Westernized cultural values and local cultures.

Emerging Asian Regionalism

Emerging Asian Regionalism
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2008
Genre: Asia
ISBN:

As Asia grows and prospers, its economies are increasingly vital to each other -and to the world. Led by a team of ADB staff, scholars, and advisers to regional policy makers, this study highlights what is at stake the emerging Asian regionalism and lays out the ground for further discussion on how to move forward.

Asian Regionalism in the World Economy

Asian Regionalism in the World Economy
Author: Masahiro Kawai
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 541
Release: 2010-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1849806888

The structure and policy architecture of the world economy, as it emerges from the historic challenges now underway, will be affected by the dramatic rise of Asian economies and deepening connections among them. This important book examines the dramatic transformation of the Asian economy, the challenges it faces, emerging regional solutions, and how Asia can play a more constructive role in the global economy. Asia is becoming not just the world's factory, but also its leading creditor, and one of its key sources of dynamism and stability. Key questions are identified and addressed in three areas: Asia's growth and productivity, financial stability, and regional economic integration. In each of these areas, the contributing authors evaluate current trends and the forces shaping the future. They consider whether the regions progress is sustainable and what it will take to make it so. How is Asia reshaping its economy in response to the changing global landscape? More urgently, how can Asia weather the severe, global financial and economic stormoriginating from the global credit crisis? How will it extend its gains to people left behind? And how can it contribute to better governance and greater prosperity in the world economy? This book covers new ground by connecting theory, assembling detailed evidence on trends and challenges, and offering forwardlooking policy prescriptions. This timely book will appeal to Asian economic policymakers as well as postgraduate students interested in Asian economics, international economics and regional integration. Staff of international and regional organizations interested in Asian economics will also find this book invaluable.