March – April 2024

The Asan Forum > International Relations Theory

International Relations Theory

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February 24, 2017 Open Forum
The Limitations of “Global Korea’s” Middle Power

2010 was a pivotal year for the Republic of Korea: as host of the G20 Leaders’ Summit—the first non-G7 and non-Western country to do so—the relatively small country […]

Balbina Y. Hwang

anti-globalization, BRICS, Cold War, G20, G7, impeachment, liberalism internationalism, middle power, Middle Power Diplomacy, MIKTA, NAPCI, nationalism, Nuclear Security Summit 2012, ODA, OECD, Park Geun-hye, peace-keeping operations, Populism, proliferation security initiative, ROK-US Alliance, Seoul G20 Summit, spheres of influence, trade liberalization, Trump
February 10, 2017 Open Forum
Xinjiang and the Trans-nationalization of Uyghur Terrorism: Cracks in the “New Silk Road”?

President Xi Jinping’s ambitious “One Belt, One Road” strategy has magnified Chinese concern for the security of its long restive northwestern province, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). […]

Michael Clarke

9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Central Asia, counterterrorism, critical theory, East Turkestan Islamic Movement, energy, globalization, Iraq, ISIS, mujahideen, NATO, One Belt One Road, Pakistan, realism, SCO, securitization, separatism, Silk Road Economic Belt, Syria, Taliban, terrorism, Turkestan Islamic Party, Turkey, Uyghur, war on terror, Xi Jinping, Xinjiang
February 9, 2017 Special Forum
Competing in a Shared Order in Asia

Arguably the leading challenge for US national security strategy in the coming decade is to recalibrate the US role for a more multipolar world order. The geopolitical as […]

Michael J. Mazarr

A2/AD, AirSea Battle, anti-globalization, Asia pivot, Balance of power, East China Sea, hegemonic stability theory, Iran, military buildup, Multipolarity, nationalism, Populism, public opinion, rise of China, South China Sea, Taiwan, Thucydides trap, Trump
February 9, 2017 Special Forum
A Multipolar Nuclear Asia in the Trump Era

On December 22, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump used his electronic bully pulpit to opine on nuclear weapons policy. “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear […]

Christopher Clary

Arms Race, Cold War, Extended deterrence, first, India, military buildup, Multipolarity, mutually assured destruction, nuclear cascade, Nuclear deterrence, nuclear policy, Pakistan, rise of China, Trump, use
February 1, 2017 Country Reports
Country Report: South Korea (January 2017)

The leadership vacuum created in December has raised questions about the legitimacy of both the domestic and foreign policies of the South Korean government. With opposing party candidates […]

Editorial Staff

Abe Shinzo, Balance of power, balancer, comfort women, Denuclearization, GSOMIA, isolationism, Kaesong Industrial Complex, Korea Air Defense Identification Zone, One China policy, Populism, ROK-US Alliance, THAAD, trilateralism, Trump
December 12, 2016 National Commentaries
A View from Vietnam

President Duterte sparked a media frenzy on his recent visit to China when he declared that the Philippines would "separate" from the United States and align itself with […]

Vu Truong-Minh*

accommodation, ASEAN, Balance of power, Duterte, France, freedom of navigation, hedging, Hollande, India, Modi, Philippines, rise of China, security partnership, South China Sea, Territorial Disputes, Vietnam
November 24, 2016 Country Reports
Country Report: Russia (November 2016)

Noteworthy in the fall of 2016 has been the increase in articles about the Russo-Japanese relationship. They accompanied the Eastern Economic Forum meeting of Putin and Abe and […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)

Crimea, Eurasian Economic Commission, Eurasian Economic Union, European Union, G7, Kuril Islands, NATO, Northern Territories, Russian Far East, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Silk Road Economic Belt
October 20, 2016 Open Forum
One Belt, One Road: A New Roadmap for a Sinocentric World?

Nele Noesselt1 Chair for Chinese Politics, University of Duisburg-Essen In May 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Commerce […]

Nele Noesselt

China Dream, harmonious world, Maritime Silk Road, Multipolarity, New Silk Road, One Belt One Road, Silk Road Economic Belt, Sinocentrism, Tianxia
October 20, 2015 Open Forum
A Theoretical Explanation of the Evolving Northeast Asian Architecture: The “Incompleteness” of Sovereignty

Current literature on international relations theory is helpful in explaining Northeast Asian regional politics, but falls short. We witness the rising tension between the United States and China […]

Chun Chaesung*

Incomplete Sovereignty, International relations theory, Power-maximizer, US-China rivalry
June 23, 2015 Country Reports
Country Report: China (June 2015)

In Heping yu Fazhan, no. 2, 2015, Li Hongcai and Yang Guanghai took a broad view of security in Asia, citing Xi Jinping’s May 21, 2014 statement on […]

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Dong Jiaxin*)

constructivism, SCO, Sino-ROK Relations, Sino-US Relations