The Making Of Northeast Asia

Northeast Asia, where the interests of three major nuclear powers and the world's two largest economies converge around the unstable pivot of the Korean peninsula, is a region rife with political-economic paradox. It ranks today among the most dangerous areas on earth, plagued by security problems of global importance, including nuclear and missile proliferation. Yet, despite its insecurity, the region has continued to be the most rapidly growing on earth for over five decades—and it is emerging as an identifiable economic, political, and strategic region in its own right. As the locus of both economic growth and political-military uncertainty in Asia has moved further to the Northeast, a need has developed for a book that focuses analytically on prospects for Northeast Asian cooperation within the context of both Asia and the Asia-Pacific regional relationship. This book does exactly that, while also offering a more general theory for Asian institution building.

"Northeast Asia, where the interests of three major nuclear powers and the world's three largest economies converge around the unstable pivot of the Korean peninsula, is a region rife with political-economic paradox. It ranks today among the most dangerous areas on earth, plagued by security problems of global importance, including nuclear and missile proliferation. Yet in the face of long-standing historical antagonisms and geopolitical tension, the rapidly growing region is nevertheless emerging as an identifiable economic, political, and strategic entity in its own right, and cooperative trilateral mechanisms among Japan, China, and Korea are deepening. As the locus of both economic growth and political-military uncertainty in Asia has moved further to the northeast, the need has arisen for a book focusing analytically on prospects for collaboration within Northeast Asia specifically, rather than generalizing solely about Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific regional relationship. This book provides exactly this explicit Northeast Asian focus, while also offering a more general theory for Asian institution building, and policy suggestions for coping with a historic new development in world affairs." -- back of book.

Sustainable Peace in Northeast Asia examines the causes of lasting and complex tensions in the region from underlying political, historical, military and economic perspectives; discusses their historical development and political-economic implications for the world; and explores possible solutions to build lasting peace. The book is unique in that it approaches the topic from the historical perspective of each constituent country in the region. Major global powers such as the United States and Russia have also closely engaged in the political and economic affairs of this region through a network of alliances, diplomacy, trade and investment. The book also discusses the influence of these external powers over the crisis, their political and economic objectives in the region, their strategies and the dynamics that their engagement has created. Both South Korea and North Korea have sought reunification of the Korean peninsula, which will have a substantial impact on the region. The book examines its justification, feasibility and effects for the region. The book discusses the role of Mongolia in the context of the power dynamics in Northeast Asia. A relatively small country, in terms of its population, Mongolia has rarely been examined in this context; Sustainable Peace in Northeast Asia makes a fresh assessment of its potential role.

Sovereignty Experiments tells the story of how authorities in Korea, Russia, China, and Japan—through diplomatic negotiations, border regulations, legal categorization of subjects and aliens, and cultural policies—competed to control Korean migrants as they suddenly moved abroad by the thousands in the late nineteenth century. Alyssa M. Park argues that Korean migrants were essential to the process of establishing sovereignty across four states because they tested the limits of state power over territory and people in a borderland where authority had been long asserted but not necessarily enforced. Traveling from place to place, Koreans compelled statesmen to take notice of their movement and to experiment with various policies to govern it. Ultimately, states' efforts culminated in drastic measures, including the complete removal of Koreans on the Soviet side. As Park demonstrates, what resulted was the stark border regime that still stands between North Korea, Russia, and China today. Skillfully employing a rich base of archival sources from across the region, Sovereignty Experiments sets forth a new approach to the transnational history of Northeast Asia. By focusing on mobility and governance, Park illuminates why this critical intersection of Asia was contested, divided, and later reimagined as parts of distinct nations and empires. The result is a fresh interpretation of migration, identity, and state making at the crossroads of East Asia and Russia.

These timely essays highlight regional cross-fertilization in music, film, new media, and popular culture in Northeast Asia, including analysis of gender and labor issues amid differing regulatory frameworks and public policy concerning cultural production and piracy.

"This new book in the Constitutionalism in Asia series considers the idea of origins, and of change and continuity in terms of 'constitution-making', which is an on-going process in the Northeast Asian states. The book examines the drafting, nature, core values and roles of the first modern constitutions during the founding of the eight modern states/territories in Northeast Asia: China (1949) Taiwan (1947) Hong Kong SAR (1997) Macau (1993) Japan (1889) North Korea (1948 or 1972) South Korea (1948) Mongolia (1992) The collection provides: - an exploratory description of the process and substantive inputs in the making of the first constitutions of these nations; - analysis of the internal and external (including intra-regional) forces surrounding the making of these constitutions; and - theoretical construction of models to conceptualise the nature and role of the first constitutions (including constituent documents) in the founding of the modern nation-states and their subsequent impact on state-building in the region."--

Northeast Asia is a region of both extraordinary economic growth and dangerous tensions which could explode in war. This book examines how domestic politics in all the countries of the region - China, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, North Korea and South Korea and, of course, the USA - intensifies the forces of both mutually beneficial prosperity and also war-prone tensions. It goes on to provide policy suggestions for making the better prospects more likely and the worse outcomes less likely. The book, highlighting how domestic imperatives shape foreign policies, will be an important contribution to the literature on Northeast Asian regionalism and the prospects for its future development.

In this edited volume, distinguished scholars and policy analysts explore how China's rise has brought great opportunities for cooperation as well as great challenges for geo-political competition between the United States and China.