Chapter 22 - Perspectives for Asia Pacific Security Studies §

Class: IS308 Created Time: August 3, 2021 8:50 PM Database: Class Notes Database Last Edited Time: September 6, 2021 8:39 PM Type: Lecture, Reading Notes

WHAT DO IR THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES EXPLAIN THE ASIA-PACIFIC SECURITY?

• Realist perspective
  • Neo-realism
    • Unchanged hierarchical powers. Example: US (1), China (2), India & Japan (3), Korea & ASEAN (4)
  • offensive realist
    • States maximize power and influence to achieve security through domination and hegemony. Example: China seeks hegemony regionally and globally.
  • defensive realist
    • States strive for a balance of power for survival. For example, the US acts as the dominant maritime power and China as the inland power.
  • realist constitutionalism
    • The utility or tool of the superpowers or regional powers. Example: UN, APEC.
• Liberal perspective
  • Liberal constitutionalism
    • it emphasizes the states’ cooperation based on institutions on shared interests. The institutions, based on this theory, have their own life as the states respect and come together through it. For example, the EU and ASEAN.
  • democratic liberalism
    • it concentrates on the idea that democracies never go to war against each other, but against the different regimes and that authoritarians did go to war together. The democracies collectively promoted domestic peace and cooperation
  • commercial liberalism
    • it stresses the economic interdependence between states that led to peace, especially the assertion of the interdependence between the two major powers: the US and China. However, it has a weakness of the link between hegemony and a stable global economy. For example, the Sino-US relations.
• Constructivism
  • Functionalism vs. Neo-functionalism
    • Functionalists, technical cooperation can have political spillover effects on the region.
    • Neo-functionalism also helps explain institutionalized cooperation among states in the Asia-Pacific. For example, ASEAN.
  • Eclecticism (Combined perspectives, strengths and weaknesses)
    • Social constructivists regard policy as capable of transforming state-security behavior. Example - China changed through participation in the ARF social framework. Eclecticism combines power, efficiency, and identity to explain regional peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific.
  • Post-Marxism & Post-Modernism
    • Emancipationists tend to blame the global capitalist economy for insecurity. For example - the 1997 financial crisis impact east Asia. Postmodernists question modern statism and generally see the potential in the creative role of social movement in order to build a security framework.

Among the above perspectives, which one do you think best explains the contemporary reality of security in the Asia Pacific? Rationalize your idea.

Among the above perspectives, we believe that a realist security study best explains the contemporary reality of security in the Asia Pacific. We think three out of the four branches of realist strategic studies explain features of the Asia Pacific. One of which is how offensive realism explains the region. Within this point, China and Japan can be served as a great examples as the two states are seeking to keep their influences in the region. Even though the two were not having entire domination or roles as hegemonies, they are trying to maintain their power. Another branch is defensive realism which is again the contested power-seeking for the balance of power. Again, Japan and China can serve as a great examples as the two are contesting each other’s soft power or influences in the Asia Pacific region. The roles of the two in ASEAN Plus Three is a piece of evidence. In addition, the utility of regional and international superpower is applied in the Asia Pacific reflected Realist institutionalism. In this sense, China is racing to become the international superpower after having a strong influence in the region. Upon seeing the features of Asia Pacific, we think that the states in the region strongly depend on the concept of hegemony as allying with the hegemon provides benefits to each state.