Chapter 10
What are ASEAN and APEC?
ASEAN or Association of Southeast Asain Nations was established to promote economic cooperation among its members (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand). The US provided the region's security because most of the countries were US allies. Today ASEAN includes Brunei, Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. More recently it has sought to tackle issues such as maritime security and nonproliferation. • APEC or Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation was created to focus exclusively on economic matters. APEC was created with members from North America- US, Canada and Mexico, South America-Chile and Peru, and Asia. It focuses on liberalization of trade barriers, business facilitation, and regional economic cooperation.
Briefly describe the indicators demonstrating China's emergence as a global power.
Economic: China has become the world's second largest economy in 2011. It has maintained high average annual economic growth rates for a decade. It has become the world's largest trading nation in 2013. • Diplomatic: China has been active on many diplomatic fronts, developing its relations with Russia, India, EU and countries in Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and East Asia. • Military: China has the world's third largest military spending, only behind US and Russia. It has been modernizing its forces and developing advanced technology. It has also strengthened its regional military presence. • Size: China has the world's largest population of 1.34 billion and it is the fourth largest in territory with 3.7 million square meters.
Why are power transitions dangerous? What are containment and engagement policies towards China? What is the logic of each?
History and international theories show that tensions and war are often associated with the rise of a new great power. • Containment policies towards China are similar to the policies containing Soviet Union during the Cold War, though milder and more limited. The strategy assumes if the country's external ambitions are contained, China is more likely to become more democratic and less of a threat due to its internal changes. Whether China's rise will be a peaceful rise depends on whether US foreign policy is tough enough to check its expansionist inclination. • Engagement policies towards China aim to work out the issues between US and China through diplomacy and negotiations. The strategy considers China less threatening. It emphasizes integration and diplomacy to provide structured, peaceful mechanisms for dealing with China's own concerns. It encourages China to follow international norms and abide by international rules. Though issues of human rights and democratization should not be neglected, they prefer other approaches to economic sanctions to address those issues.
Briefly describe the current approach to addressing North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
In the early 1992, it was feared that North Korea was seeking to develop nuclear weapons, despite having signed the NPT, and would sell it to others rogue states. • The response of the Clinton administration emphasized negotiations but also threatened a military action. The outcome was the Agreed Framework of 1994. • A second round of negotiations the "6 party talk" was initiated in 2002 when it became clear that North Korea did not respect the Framework. • Then tougher diplomacy was used beginning in 2006 with strong condemnations for USA, China and the UN and targeted economic sanctions. The sanction got harder with other provocation from North Korea in 2009. • It does not look that any real progress would be made without a shift in Northern Korean domestic politics.
Why has the US traditionally had better relations with Pakistan than India? Briefly describe the factors that make India stand out as an emerging world power?
India had close ties with SU and was head of the non-aligned movement during the Cold War which is why the US had better relations with Pakistan rather than with India. • There were a few factors as to what made India stand out as an emerging world power. The factors are: Size, India has 15% of the total world population making them the second biggest country population wise. India's place in globalization, which is a major center of technological innovation in their own right and in recent years, India's economy has held the fastest growing economy rates. Another factor making India stand out as an emerging world power is their possession of nuclear weapons. Finally, India has been playing a significant global diplomatic role. All of these factors play in to make India a stand out as an emerging world power.
What are the tensions and sources of these tensions for the US-Japanese relationship?
Sources of tension come from: historical contexts of US involvement in Japan's constitution, role it played on Japan during WWII, the competition that the two nations have felt economically over the last few decades, and the relationship the two countries have had from the alliance during the Cold War. • Tensions can be categorized 3 ways: economic, Japanese and American domineering its relationship, Post Cold War military role in Japan. • 1. Economic tension centered on trade between two nations. Japan and US 2 largest economies till recently. Not hostile when it comes to economics but it can cause conflict, two are connected and rely on each other for their economic future • 2. Japanese citizens uneasy about still having US military bases in Japan mainly Okinawa. • 3. US maintained grip over what kind of military Japan can have. Particularly with assisting in peace constitution.
Briefly describe the seven issues in US- China relations.
Taiwan: US have adopted "One China" policy which denies Taiwan as an independent state and maintained its commitment to defend Taiwan if China attacks. It has been a difficult balance to strike given recurring crises along the way. • The Chinese military: US have concerns over China's increasing military spending, its modernization of military forces and its development of new capacities, while China defends its increasing spending as catching up for past weakness and a necessity for its own legitimate national defense. • East Asian-pacific regional security: While US military presence played a key role in the security of East Asian-Pacific Region and protected Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and other states, the rise of China has raised issues for the balance of power in East Asian-Pacific Region. Japan-China relations are one area of concern. Regional disputes over territorial claim in the South China Sea raise another concern. • North Korea: China and US were on opposing sides in the Korean War; China still maintains close relationship with North Korea; but both countries have been involved with the nuclear proliferation threat posed by North Korea recently. • R2P and Intervention-Sovereignty: China always opposes the international intervention in states to prevent mass atrocities based on the norm of the "responsibility to protect (R2P)" and defend state sovereignty. • Economic relations: There is huge trade imbalance between US and China. One contentious issue is that the undervaluation of Chinese currency. The other issue is about the growing industry of renewable energy technologies. • Democratization, human rights and Chinese political stability: China has remained a communist country, will we ever be able to change that? Will they improve their humanitarian issues? Work conditions, one child policy? growing corruption is their system?
