Yong Wook Lee. The Japanese Challenge to the American Neoliberal World Order: Identity, Meaning, and Foreign Policy. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008. xvii + 284 pp. $60.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-8047-5812-3.

Reviewed by Brian J. McVeigh

Published on H-US-Japan (April, 2009)

Commissioned by Yone Sugita (Osaka University)

Is the book under review the "frst academic because it illustrates the serious shortcomings of publication to explicitly link to Japan's "rat choice" and the methodologies of those sufer‐ particular foreign economic policy choices" (on ing from science envy. the book's dust jacket)? Is it true that "Japan has Lee explains his approach as an "identity-in‐ remained the only developed state in the entire tention analytical framework": an actor "observes post-Cold War era to question the universal validi‐ an event (observation); the actor interprets the ty of the so-called Washington consensus as its of‐ event normally in terms of who did what and why fcial foreign economic policy" (p. 63)? Many, I sus‐ (interpretation), then, from this interpretation, pect, would fnd such claims disputable (to be fair, the actor makes a decision as to how to respond Lee adds "with some qualifcations" to the latter (decision)" (p. 50, emphases in original). Chapter 2 assertion), but let us overlook what are probably is judiciously devoted to "alternative explana‐ overstatements and focus on the book's notewor‐ tions" (e.g., interest-group, state-centered) for the thy points. problems posed. According to Lee, these explana‐ Lee's attention to the role of ideas, norms, and tions are remarkably similar to rationalist inter‐ identities is much appreciated. In contrast to a national relations (IR) theories, which in his opin‐ "realist world of international relations," where ion fail to explain how actors defne their goals. states (as unitary actors) are understood as "ego‐ With prose that is a bit tortured, chapter 3 elabo‐ tistic utility maximizers" competing anarchically, rates on the identity-intention framework. The a constructivist stance takes identities and their need to devote a chapter to commonsensical concomitant values seriously (as they should). In claims--e.g., "identities are the basis of interests" this regard, national states, as actors, are subjects, (or what people do is "intentional, or directed to not mere objects (like billiard balls aimlessly something beyond itself"--indicates the intellectu‐ bouncing of each other). His work is important al vacuity of certain approaches in political sci‐ H-Net Reviews ence desperate to appear theoretically sophisticat‐ sion of the United States from membership in the ed Asian Monetary Fund. For Lee this is the main evi‐ The most persuasive and cogent part of the dence supporting his arguments about the identi‐ book is chapter 4, "Who and What is Normal in ty-intention analytical framework as presented in the History of the World Economy?" Here the dif‐ chapter 3. Lee points out that Finance Ministry of‐ ferences between Marxism, economic , fcials view neoclassical economics as only one set and developmentalism are explained. The signif‐ of ideas; they do not idealize or pursue them in a cant point, however, concerns not so much which dogmatic manner. They understand that market type of political economic philosophy best de‐ fundamentalism, inspired by neoclassical liberal‐ scribes Japan; rather, the real debate has revolved ism, only pursues short-term goals, ignores local around whether Japan was "normal" or "abnor‐ conditions, and imposes policies with a one-size- mal" (one wonders why more attention has not fts-all mentality. been devoted to the "normal-or-abnormal" traits The fnal chapter ("Conclusion: After the of certain continental European economies where Asian Monetary Fund") comments on the global states have, relative to the United States, heavily implications of Japanese economic policy. Specif‐ regulated markets and cooperated with capitalist cally, it suggests a "New Asian Regionalism" which interests; perhaps the "Asian" identity of Japan sees cooperation among East Asian states. Signif‐ marks it as more diferent?). cantly, such economic integration might see the Japanese developmentalists, assured that United States left out in the cold. In this chapter their ideology was historically normal, had to frst Lee also suggests, as a way to conceptualize the persuade a domestic audience before they could balancing of capitalist developmentalism with take their claims to the international stage. Dur‐ , "polymorphic economic lib‐ ing the 1980s, global events would legitimate the eralism." The idea is that the leading industrial "normalcy claim" of the Japanese developmental‐ national states must discard developmentalism ists: economically burgeoning Asian states who and adopt economic liberalism, while "follower pursued state-led capitalist growth coupled with a countries" should adopt state-led capitalism. major debt crisis in Latin American states that Moreover, a certain degree of "distinctness" had followed liberal policies. The Japanese devel‐ should be recognized in each country. The logic opmentalists now felt justifed in challenging seems disarmingly simple. American . Overall, Lee's project would have been more Chapter 5, "Binarization of Economic Devel‐ convincing if the book's arguments were present‐ opment Identities: Japan and the East Asian Mira‐ ed within the context of an unfolding, chronologi‐ cle," explores how "identity formation" would cal narrative through time, rather than as a theo‐ lead Japan to adopt policies toward economic de‐ ry-driven hypothesis about identity. I can under‐ velopment that conficted with those of the United stand that political scientists, in their attempt to States. Clashes would occur in the Asian Develop‐ appear "scientifc," must adopt certain conven‐ ment Bank, the World Bank, and the Asian Pacifc tions, but so much is lost in terms of concreteness Economic Cooperation. However, Japan's pressure when abstractions infect an analysis (for example, on the World Bank to publish The East Asian Mir‐ consider "actor": the use of this term has a ten‐ acle in 1993 (described as a "pivotal moment") dency to anthropomorphize entire national was a well-aimed salvo in the assault on the states). I should stress that this is more a critique American neoliberal order. Chapter 6 ("Japan and of the direction current political science has taken the Asian Monetary Fund") treats Japan's exclu‐ than a criticism of Lee's analysis, which in and of

2 H-Net Reviews itself is solid (ffty-seven pages of notes are ap‐ pended). A persistent and welcome theme throughout Lee's work is that all modern, economically ad‐ vanced national states have employed "develop‐ mentalism" of some sort or another in order to ac‐ cumulate wealth. Arguably, however, some states have adopted more formalized and institutional‐ ized methods to inject "stateness" (my term) into corporate culture (or we might say that they have just been more honest about the degree of state‐ ness vis-à-vis idealized "self-regulating market forces"). Indeed, Lee points out that in the context of world economic history, developmentalism was more the norm than neoclassical liberalism; the former was by no means "unique or idiosyn‐ cratic" (p. 4). Another strength of Lee's work is a nuanced reliance on analytical philosophy, social psychology, and IR constructivist literature in or‐ der to link meaningful choices with policies. As the frst decade of the twenty-frst century closes, careful explorations are required to appre‐ ciate new confgurations adopted by political and capitalist interests in the ever-evolving environ‐ ment of global relations (witness the current bailout mania in the United States). Lee's book is a timely and important contribution.

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Citation: Brian J. McVeigh. Review of Lee, Yong Wook. The Japanese Challenge to the American Neoliberal World Order: Identity, Meaning, and Foreign Policy. H-US-Japan, H-Net Reviews. April, 2009.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=23696

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