International Relations of East Asia, Asian Security, China's Foreign Policy, International Relations Theory, Space Security
The Chrysanthemum and the Shield. The Pacific Theater Missile Defense and its consequences for Japanese Security Strategy.”
by Matteo Dian
Japan is moving along a long-term trajectory to assume a normal” security role, gradually eroding the... more
Japan is moving along a long-term trajectory to assume a normal” security role, gradually eroding the self-binding prescriptions that have marked its foreign policy identity during the Post War era. Recently, this process has been accelerated by the emergence of new security threats in the East Asian security environment. In the short-term, the North Korean nuclear and ballistic program is the most immediate threat for Japan. In the longer term, Chinese military modernization and the increasing power projection capacity of the PRC represent the main strategic challenges. As a result of these trends, Japan is moving away from its traditional post-war self-restraint and is attempting to craft a more assertive security strategy in response to what it perceives as newfound security realities. The development of the US-Japan Theatre Missile Defense represents a crucial step in this direction. On the one hand, Japan’s participation in the Ballistic Missile Defense system represents the de facto overcoming a considerable part the legal and political underpinnings that had sustained the “Culture
of Antimilitarism”. On the other hand, it contributes to redefine the Japanese role in the alliance
with the United States, enhancing the interoperability of forces and promoting a unified chain of command and control. These developments are likely to encourage Japan to play a role of “hub nation” and active junior partner in the US-led military apparatus in East Asia.
Dancing with China: Comparing Thailand and Malaysia’s Experiences
Co-Written with Joseph Liow in in Tang Shiping, Li Minjiang and Amitav Acharya (eds) Living with China: Regional States and China through Crises and Turning Points (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009).
Energy Policy and Climate Mitigation in China: The Ideas Motivating Change
by Olivia Boyd
Unpublished thesis
Since the 11th Five Year Plan of 2006-2010 China has pursued a number of ambitious climate-related energy reforms.... more Since the 11th Five Year Plan of 2006-2010 China has pursued a number of ambitious climate-related energy reforms. While a consensus is now emerging over the importance of these reforms, the motivations behind China’s recent shift towards reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy efficiency remain unclear. To date most analyses of China’s motivations for emissions reductions have primarily sought to analyse the costs and benefits of emissions reductions, the bureaucratic politics driving climate-related policy-making, and the incentives shaping China’s engagement with international climate negotiations. Largely absent from existing literature is an emphasis on the role of ideas in redefining the main concerns and policy priorities that have led to climate-related energy reform. The central research question of this thesis addresses this issue: What are the key domestic ideas that have motivated China’s recent climate-related energy reforms, and how are these ideas likely to shape China’s engagement with international climate governance? From a survey of key government energy documents and the writings of China’s leading energy academics, this thesis finds that three new ideas have been particularly influential. One idea is new energy security that stresses domestic, rather than international, sources of energy insecurity. A second influential idea is green development and growing concern over the environmental and resource constraints on economic growth. A third important new idea is low-carbon leadership, which posits a vision of China’s international political and economic influence based on climate leadership and low-carbon markets. The influence that these three ideas have had on China’s domestic reforms have important implications for the wider debate over international climate governance. This analysis of China’s motivations for emissions reductions suggests that a combination of ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches may offer the best means of deepening China’s engagement with climate governance at the international level.

