Relationship Between US, Northeast Asia
By Kim Ji-soo
Staff Reporter
The Beijing Olympics is several weeks away. The dispute between Seoul and Tokyo over rocky islets has flared once again. Candlelights had been burning for months on the streets of Seoul. The Northeast Asian region is a compelling picture of change and new development these days. A book that carries a collection of works dealing with the region is out to give the readers some views to consider.
``The United States and Northeast Asia: Debates, Issues, and New Order'' (eds. G. John Ikenberry and Chung-in Moon, Lanham, Md and Plymouth, UK: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008) provides a broad view of the dynamics of change in Northeast Asia.
The book starts with a brief summary on the big tenets in Northeast Asian politics since the mid-19th century. The Sinocentric order evolved from a confrontational order to a reactionary one in which Japan actively pursued the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" campaign by pitting the "Asian spirit" against "Western imperialists."
Since World War II, the United States has played a crucial role in shaping the geo-political and geo-economic destiny of East Asia. The old international order was anchored in America's postwar hegemonic presence in the region, tied to bilateral security partnerships with Japan and South Korea. For half a century, that hegemonic order provided a stable structure of open markets and security as Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries developed, democratized and joined the wider modernized world.
The end of the Cold War, Sept. 11, and major strategic alignments have unveiled new indications of a shift in East Asia. America's stabilizing role is largely unchanged. And from this standpoint, the book maps how power relations are shifting in the region, marked by divergent developmental passages, and intensifying interdependence among the major players.
The book is divided into three parts comprising 12 chapters. In the first part, the book carries six articles by leading specialist that reviews the Northeast Asian region as anchored in American's bilateral alliances and liberal hegemonic leadership. John Ikenberry writes about the political foundation of American engagement with Northeast Asia, seeing it as a combination of hard bilateral security ties and soft multilateral economic relations. In the following chapter, Avery Goldstein looks at rising China. Takashi Inoguchi and Bacon write on Japan; William C. Wohlforth on Russia's missing Asian revisionism; Kim Woo-sang on South Korea; and Kim Yong-ho's piece on North Korea's new status and behavior.
The issues dealt with in Part II of the book have more relevancy to the lay watchers of current affairs of the region. Three specialists including Chung In-moon and Suh Seong-won touch upon increasingly vocal nationalism spreading throughout the Northeast as well as on the clash of national identity and politics of nationalism in China, Japan and South Korea, and the North Korean nuclear quagmire.
Finally, articles in Part III are devoted to recasting old order and designing new regional order: an American hegemonic order in the post-September 11 era (Michael Mastanduno), a liberal and institutional path to community-building in the region (Vinod K. Aggarwal and Koo Min-gyo), and the role of the U.S. in shaping regional order (Kim Ki-jung and Kim Myong-sob). All in all, the volume under review presents a comprehensive analysis of regional dynamics in Northeast Asia, although it may not be an easy read for the lay readers.
However, the book shows that pessimistic outlook should be countered by more positive factors shaping the region. Interests, norms, and shared identity could foster cooperation among regional actors ― transcending security dilemmas, prestige contests, and territorial disputes. Deepening economic interdependence, expanding social and cultural exchanges, and more importantly, informal networks formed through production, investment and education would prevent conflict escalation in the region.
While offering no easy answers to the dilemmas confronting the region, a close examination of these pressing debates and issues will provide readers with the knowledge necessary to understanding the changes underway.