Gilbert Rozman

"International relations theory has repeatedly failed to grasp dramatic changes occurring in East Asia. Asia has long remained peripheral, approached deductively based on findings drawn from the Euro-Atlantic region rather than through the prism of area experts and debates within the region. In this volume, experts on East Asia focus on each of the past five decades to explain the weak predictive power of traditional IR theory as applied to the region and uncover the true forces driving change. While recognizing that realist and liberal theories have vied for preeminence in recent decades, this book showcases the rise of constructivist (national identity) theory. Gilbert Rozman's chapters on each decade cover theoretical issues including strategic triangles, rising powers, regionalism, and Eastern vs. Western civilization. Contributors also examine other triangles, bilateral relations, and views of theory within the region. Parallel chapters explore historical legacies of growing relevance in China, Japan, and Russia in the 2010s, and the Korean Peninsula figures heavily throughout as a challenge to theory"--

The year 2012 may be determinative in transforming the leadership that will decide the fate of the hexagonal maneuvering over the North Korean nuclear threat and the prospects for reunification. Leadership has great bearing on the way the states active in Northeast Asia address sensitive questions related to the Korean peninsula. How should the shared goal of denuclearization be prioritized relative to goals such as stability and the regional balance of power? What weight should be given to human rights in the context of urgent security concerns? To what extent should the multilateral nature of diplomacy override the expression of national policy priorities? How closely is coordination with South Korea advisable, recognizing its legitimacy to represent the Korean people, given divergence in threat perceptions and strategic thinking about the future of the peninsula? The essays in this volume seek to address these and other questions.

"This book explores the rising importance of history in reshaping international relations in Northeast Asia"--Provided by publisher. "Whereas most discussions of history have centered on the rift between China and Japan, this book focuses on three other divisions stemming from deep-seated memories within Northern Asia, which increasingly will test U.S. diplomacy and academic analysis. The first division involves long-suppressed Japanese and South Korean memories that are critical of U.S. behavior -- concerning issues such as the atomic bombings, the Tokyo Tribunal, and the Korean War. How should the United States respond as these memories come out into the open, complicating vital bilateral alliances? The second division is the enduring disagreement between Japan and South Korea over history. What can the United States do to invigorate urgently needed trilateral ties? The third and most important division is the revival of a sinocentric worldview, which foretells a struggle between China and other countries concerning history, one that has already begun in China's dispute with South Korea and is likely to implicate the United States above all. Presenting three perspectives on each theme, the book launches a multi-sided discussion of the importance of history in international relations"--Provided by publisher.

This book traces the development of Chinese thinking over four periods from the 1980s on and covers strategies toward: Russia and Central Asia, Japan, the Korean peninsula, Southeast and South Asia, and regionalism. It compares strategic thinking, arguing that the level was lowest under Jiang Zemin and highest under Hu Jintao. While pinpointing many mistaken assumptions, it credits China with overall successes and concludes that China stands at a crossroads. Deng Xiaoping's legacy about patiently biding its time may be replaced by growing assertiveness, which was difficult to suppress earlier and now is emboldened by China's rapid rise.

"From 2013, the US-led alliance triangle with Japan and South Korea has defied expectations. Drawing together articles commissioned from leading experts in all three countries by the new online journal The Asan Forum, this book reconsiders what we thought we knew about the three legs of this triangle. Varied chapters cover the US-South Korea alliance at 60 years, Japan-South Korea relations under stress, Japan's national security policy, US relations with both allies, and Japanese and Korean national identities. A picture emerges of two strong US alliances increasingly at odds with each other, and of Japan-South Korea relations newly troubled not only by intensifying national identities but also by divergent strategic calculations. This volume shows how vital this triangle is to understanding US policy in Asia by bringing to light the dynamics of triangularity in the shadow of China's rise and the North Korean threat"-- "This book reconsiders what we thought we knew about the US-led alliance triangle with Japan and South Korea, integrating some of the best, up-to-date analysis from three countries. It covers the US-ROK alliance at 60 years, Japan-ROK relations under stress, Japan's national security policy, US relations with both allies, and Japanese and Korean national identities"--