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

by Mohamed Nawab

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Unpublished thesis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.

North Korea after Kim Jong Il: The Kim Jong Un era and its challenges

by Ruediger, Rudiger Frank