Geopolitics Supply Chains And International Relations In East Asia

An accessible overview of political, economic, and strategic dimensions of global supply chains in a changing global political economy.

This book explores the intricate web of economic diplomacy, Asia Pacific strategies, and Mega Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that shape the region's dynamics. It also examines the European Union's perspective, considering its shared interests with East Asia and the USA. Avoiding military conflicts in sensitive regions such as the Taiwan Straits and the Korean Peninsula is crucial, as the economic ramifications of any such conflicts could be catastrophic on a global scale, fundamentally altering the course of the New Cold War. Divided into four parts, the book begins with an introduction, setting the stage for the ensuing exploration. Part two delves into economic diplomacy, Asia Pacific strategies, and Mega FTAs in East Asia, while part three examines the same themes in the context of the European Union. Finally, part four concludes with insightful remarks that tie together the findings from the preceding sections. As the world teeters on the precipice of a new era defined by global power struggles and geopolitical realignments, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of the pressing issues facing East Asia and the EU. It challenges readers to reflect on history's lessons and find wise solutions through theoretical and practical approaches.

This book focuses on the way geographical and historical forces continue to play a key role in shaping international relations in East Asia.

Economic and geopolitical expansion -- The Indo-Pacific: a strategic coupling -- Diversity and contested definitions -- Security issues of the Indian Ocean region -- Maritime commerce of the Indian Ocean region -- Prosperity and the emerging geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific -- Traditional interests, evolving priorities -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Chapter 13: Conclusions: interests and strategies in Asian regional institutional development -- International interests -- Strategies of engagement -- Future of Asian cooperation -- Theoretical impact -- Summary -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

This book examines geopolitics in East Asia, focusing in particular on East Asia's contentious maritime territorial disputes. It examines how important factors including territory, natural resources and power relations influence state behaviour and relations between important powers including the United States, China, Japan and South Korea.

The book reviews globalisation by identifying causes behind the discontent it has produced in recent years. It variously engages in economics, political economy, development and policy discourses to study experiences of countries and institutions in managing and adjusting to globalisation. Extending the analysis to latest global developments, including the remarkable advance of technology and digitalisation, and political and economic upheavals caused by COVID19, the book collects varied academic perspectives and reflects on the present as well as future. Comprising chapters written by distinguished academics and policy experts, the book is a rare collection of cross-disciplinary objective evaluations of globalisation.

Intensifying geopolitical rivalries, rising defence spending and the proliferation of the latest military technology across Asia suggest that the region is set for a prolonged period of strategic contestation. None of the three competing visions for the future of Asian order – a US-led ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’, a Chinese-centred order, or the ASEAN-inspired ‘Indo-Pacific Outlook’ – is likely to prevail in the short to medium term. In the absence of a new framework, the risk of open conflict is heightened, and along with it the need for effective mechanisms to maintain peace and stability. As Asia’s leaders seek to rebuild their economies and societies in the wake of COVID-19, they would do well to reflect upon the lessons offered by the pandemic and their applicability in the strategic realm. The societies that have navigated the crisis most effectively have been able to do so by putting in place stringent protective measures. Crisis-management and -avoidance mechanisms – and even, in the longer term, wider arms control – can be seen as the strategic equivalent of such measures, and as such they should be pursued with urgency in Asia to reduce the risks of an even greater calamity.

The disintegration and questioning of global governance structures and a re-orientation toward national politics combined with the spread of technological innovations such as big data, social media, and phenomena like fake news, populism, or questions of global health policies make it necessary for the introduction of new methods of inquiry and the adaptation of established methods in Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). This accessible handbook offers concise chapters from expert international contributors covering a diverse range of new and established FPA methods. Embracing methodological pluralism and a belief in the value of an open discussion about methods’ assumptions and diverging positions, it provides new, state-of-the-art research approaches, as well as introductions to a range of established methods. Each chapter follows the same approach, introducing the method and its development, discussing strengths, requirements, limitations, and potential pitfalls while illustrating the method’s application using examples from empirical research. Embracing methodological pluralism and problem-oriented research that engages with real-world questions, the authors examine quantitative and qualitative traditions, rationalist and interpretivist perspectives, as well as different substantive backgrounds. The book will be of interest to a wide range of scholars and students in global politics, foreign policy, and methods-related classes across the social sciences.