EXCERPTED FROM Asia Pacific in World Politics Derek McDougall Copyright © 2007 ISBNs: 1-58826-194-8 hc & 1-58826-170-0 pb 1800 30th Street, Ste. 314 Boulder, CO 80301 USA telephone 303.444.6684 fax 303.444.0824 This excerpt was downloaded from the Lynne Rienner Publishers website www.rienner.com i 00_FM.qxd 8/8/06 4:05 PM Page v Contents Preface ix Map of the Asia Pacific Region xii 1 Understanding Asia Pacific International Politics 1 Defining International Politics and Asia Pacific 2 The Historical Context 7 Major Features of Contemporary Asia Pacific 18 Plan of the Book 24 Part 1 The Major Powers in the Region 2 The United States 31 Factors Influencing US Policies in Asia Pacific 31 The General Approach of the United States in Asia Pacific 38 3 China 51 Factors Influencing China’s Policies in Asia Pacific 51 An Overview of China’s Policies in Asia Pacific 65 4 Japan 75 Factors Influencing Japan’s Policies in Asia Pacific 75 An Overview of Japan’s Policies in Asia Pacific 92 5 The Japanese-US Relationship 101 The Postwar Context 102 Post–Cold War Strategic Issues 104 Post–Cold War Economic Issues 109 v 00_FM.qxd 8/8/06 4:05 PM Page vi vi Contents 6 The Sino-US Relationship 115 The Postwar Context 115 The Impact of Tiananmen Square 117 Post–Cold War Strategic Issues 121 Post–Cold War Economic Issues 130 Human Rights Issues 136 7 The Sino-Japanese Relationship 145 The Postwar Context 145 Tiananmen Square 148 The Gulf Conflict 150 Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Senkakus/Diaoyu 150 War Guilt 153 The Relationship in the Early Twenty-First Century 154 Part 2 Conflicts in Northeast Asia 8 Taiwan 163 The Historical Context 164 2000 and Beyond 170 Prospects 173 9 Korea 179 The Historical Context 180 1945–1990 181 The 1990s 185 2001 and Beyond 191 Part 3 Changing Dynamics in Southeast Asia 10 International Politics in Southeast Asia 201 Maritime Southeast Asia 206 Mainland Southeast Asia 217 “New” International Issues 223 11 Indonesia 231 The Historical Context 232 Post-1998 Indonesia 239 Regional Conflicts 244 International Implications 254 00_FM.qxd 8/8/06 4:05 PM Page vii Contents vii Part 4 Other Key Regional Actors 12 Russia and Australia 267 Russia 268 Australia 278 Comparisons 291 13 International Organizations 297 The Subregional Level: ASEAN 299 The Asia Pacific Level: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the ASEAN Regional Forum 303 The East Asian Alternative 306 The Global Dimension: The United Nations and Its Agencies 309 Part 5 Conclusion 14 Emerging Themes 321 Reviewing Approaches 321 Future Directions 323 List of Acronyms and Abbreviations 329 Bibliography 335 Index 353 About the Book 371 01_Chap01.qxd 8/8/06 4:09 PM Page 1 Understanding Asia Pacific International Politics 1 s a significant component of world politics, Asia Pacific confronts A many major issues. This is a region in which the United States, China, and Japan relate directly to one another. The United States has been the dominant power in the region in the post-1945 period, and this situation has been enhanced in the post–Cold War period. At the same time China, which embarked on an ambitious program of economic modernization in the late 1970s, has grown steadily stronger. Are China and the United States on a collision course or can they cooperate? Where does Japan, as the world’s second largest economic power, fit in this picture? Japan has maintained its alliance with the United States, while also developing a more independent direction; it does not wish to see the region dominated by China. Tensions have continued throughout the early twenty-first cen- tury in relation to both Taiwan and Korea. Are these tensions likely to re- sult in war at some point? In Southeast Asia the various states have faced numerous “nation building” challenges, none more so than Indonesia. Many groups oppose the authority of the existing states, and these tensions often spill over into the international arena. Throughout Asia Pacific one can also observe the expanding presence of regional and global organiza- tions. Does this presence amount to much, and if so what? Are we moving into an era when states, both major and lesser powers, will become less significant for Asia Pacific international politics? This book is concerned with this whole range of issues and questions as they appear in the current phase of world politics in Asia Pacific. In providing a study of international politics in Asia Pacific, we need to have working definitions of both “international politics” and “Asia Pacific.” Both terms are often taken for granted but, in fact, both are open to debate. We will begin with a discussion of how the terms international politics and 1 01_Chap01.qxd 8/8/06 4:09 PM Page 2 2 Understanding Asia Pacific International Politics Asia Pacific are used in this book, and then examine the historical context of international politics in Asia Pacific, and some of the major features of con- temporary Asia Pacific. At the end of the chapter there is an overview of the plan of the book. I Defining International Politics and Asia Pacific International Politics An everyday definition of “international politics” encompasses political re- lationships transcending state boundaries. Political relationships concern the pursuit of power and influence. Often the focus is on the relationship be- tween states. While this dimension is certainly a very important aspect of in- ternational politics, it would be an oversimplification to see this as the whole. A broader view allows scope for actors other than states. These in- clude international organizations, transnational corporations, and non- governmental organizations. Along with states, these actors seek to further their objectives in the global arena. The term “global politics” is emerging to denote the wide variety of actors involved and the range of issues that arise. International or global issues in the contemporary world cover not just tradi- tional military security, but many other forms of security (defense against terrorism being the most obvious one in the post–September 11 world). There are also major questions concerning economics, culture and religion, the environment, human rights, and the movement of people (immigration, refugees), to mention some of the more significant. The term “globalization” suggests the way many of these issues are dealt with at a global level. At the same time there are also movements and processes countering globalization or attempting to point it in a different direction. The continuing role of states is relevant here, as are developments at the regional and substate levels. “Antiglobalization” movements are not necessarily opposed to globalization as such, but certainly argue in favor of giving greater attention to the social, political, and environmental impacts of the prevailing economic orthodoxy. The different views on the nature of international politics are reflected in some of the important theoretical approaches. At one level these ap- proaches can be distinguished on the basis of how they characterize the key actors and processes in international politics. There can also be differ- ences relating to the significance and content of the moral dimension of in- ternational politics. During the Cold War the realist approach dominated the study of international politics. In the post–Cold War era this approach has been challenged by newer approaches such as liberalism (also referred 01_Chap01.qxd 8/8/06 4:09 PM Page 3 Understanding Asia Pacific International Politics 3 to as liberal institutionalism) and globalization theory. Various critical ap- proaches emphasize the importance of moral goals. There is also an issue about whether the major theories are too Western-oriented. Culturalistic approaches emphasize the way factors specific to particular states or soci- eties (in this case in the Asian context) influence international behavior. We will briefly review some of the major theoretical approaches, since one needs to be aware of the assumptions underlying the analysis presented in this book.1 Mid-twentieth-century realism is associated with writers such as E. H. Carr and Hans Morgenthau.2 Their focus was on the role of states in inter- national politics, and how the behavior of states is motivated by power considerations. States sought to protect and advance their national interest. At a minimum national interest involved the protection of a state’s territo- rial integrity, but broader strategic, economic, societal, and cultural dimen- sions were usually also involved. A state’s ability to achieve its objectives was determined by its power, involving military, economic, political, and other dimensions. The balance of power was the most important feature in the functioning of international politics. In pursuing their objectives states sought to make common cause with other states having similar interests in a given situation. They would act to oppose states seen as threatening those interests. Traditional realists were opposed to moralism in international politics, that is, the belief that good would prevail through means such as international law and international organization irrespective of power real- ities. Morgenthau in particular was also critical of ideologically motivated crusades. Nevertheless Carr and Morgenthau, although differing in their approaches, both saw moral principles as a very important feature of inter- national politics. The issue was to work out what those principles should be and how they should be implemented. In the latter decades of the twentieth century an important development was the emergence of neorealism, associated in particular with Kenneth Waltz.3 Waltz’s key argument was that the international behavior of states derived from the anarchical character of international politics. States had to protect themselves in a situation where there was no overriding authority.