Suchergebnisse

It is contended that South Korea's pursuit of improved foreign relations with North Korea coupled with the emergence of multiple Asian economic competitors have changed the nature of US-South Korean relations. Whereas the US perceives North Korea as a threat to international security, it is asserted that South Korea seeks reconciliation with North Korea rather than stifling its development of a nuclear weapons program; indeed, it is suggested that South Korea will presently accept North Korea's incremental social & economic development if such change continues to lead to reunification negotiations. Furthermore, it is maintained that the Peoples Republic of China's impressive economic growth & Japan's foreign policy objectives have required the South Korean government to reconsider its relations with both the US & other East Asian countries. It is concluded that US-South Korean relations are deep but that both sides must overlook irksome quarrels over cultural events & stress issues of economic & political import. J. W. Parker

Will China's expected emergence as the predominant state in East
Asia result in hierarchy or balancing? At least three major bodies of
literature predict that a rising China will be destabilizing. Realpolitik
pessimists see China's rise as inherently so. John Mearsheimer writes
that if China threatened to dominate the entire region, "It would be
a far more dangerous place than it is now … Engagement policies and
the like would not dull China's appetite for power." Power
transition theorists also see rapidly rising power as a likely cause of
conflict. Robert Powell writes that, "A rapidly shifting
distribution of power combined with the states' inability to commit
to an agreement can lead to war." Finally, those who focus on
signaling emphasize that an authoritarian state has more difficulty in
making credible statements about its intentions than a democratic
state.

A contribution to a symposium, "Ten Years from Now," addresses the potential impact of the People's Republic of China's rapid growth on stability in the East Asian region over the next decade. It is contended that predictions that a rising China will be destabilizing are unnecessarily pessimistic. States in the region will have a choice between aligning themselves with China, the US, or between the two. Current & predicted alignment is assessed for North Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, & Taiwan. China's increasing position as the regional hierarch is discussed, along with the potential costs/benefits to secondary states; & the importance of integration with the regional & international economy for China's continued growth & domestic stability. It is predicted that East Asia will adjust to China's rise rather than balance against it, in which case the US may not be the key to stability in the region, & any attempt by the US to use East Asian states to construct a balancing coalition against China will be extremely problematic. 1 Figure, 22 References. J. Lindroth