Description

The aim of the paper is to analyze an event/issue/actions related to international relations in East Asia
that, as with all political science papers, includes an accurate account and provides a plausible and
convincing explanation relevant to the broader international relations literature. As part of the paper, it
is necessary to apply at least one theoretical paradigm or, alternatively a concept.

The aim of the paper is to analyze an event/issue/actions related to international relations in East Asia that, as with all political science papers, includes an accurate account and provides a plausible and convincing explanation relevant to the broader international relations literature. As part of the paper, it is necessary to apply at least one theoretical paradigm or, alternatively a concept.

For theoretical paradigms, the main ones are:

• Realism (primary focus: security/conflict)
• Liberalism (primary focus: co-operation/economic liberalization)
• Constructivism (primary focus: ideas/norms)
• Feminism (primary focus: gender analysis)
• Marxist (primary focus: economic inequities/effect of capitalism)

The two approaches commonly used are: 1) the application of a single theoretical paradigm to explain/interpret a set of events or series of actions that have taken place in East Asia; or 2) compare and contrast how two or more paradigms understand/explain a particular event that has taken place in East Asia.

For concepts, prominent ones include:

• Balance of power
  • a realist concept that claims that states’ behavior can be explained in terms of preventing any other single state achieving dominance of a region. In the case of East Asia, a possible topic would focus on the topic of whether this concept explains how various states in the region have moved to strengthen their relationship with the US in recent years to “balance” against China’s emergence.
• Balance of threat
  • a related concept to balance of power but holds that states’ behavior can be explained less by balancing power but by balancing threats i.e. that it is not another state’s growing power that explains a state’s behavior but whether this emerging power threatens the security of other states. The issue of China’s rising power could be analyzed using the balance of threat concept, possibly comparing its explanatory power to that of the balance of power concept.
• Soft power
  • a liberal concept that suggests that military (hard) power is insufficient for a state to achieve its goals and that the attractiveness of a state’s values and cultures matter too. A possible topic for this might be to consider whether China’s lack of soft power can explain why other states in the region are concerned by its behavior.
• Nationalism
  • a constructivist concept that explains state’s behavior through examining the role played by nationalism within different states. A possible topic that makes use of this concept would be the dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. After all, these islands constitute 8 uninhabitable rocks far away from either of these two states…

For events, recent ones include:

• China’s slowdown in island building in the South China sea
• The “peace summits” held between President Trump and Kim Jong-un to resolve the situation on the Korean Peninsula
• The UN tribunal decision in favor of the Philippines against China over disputed territories in the Spratly Islands
• The passage of legislation in Japan to expand the scope of its military involvement overseas.

For issues, recent ones include:

• Sovereignty
  • the concept of sovereignty has received much attention in East Asia recently because of the various claims being made to ownership to various rocks and islands dotted in the region’s surrounding seas. As such, from a constructivist perspective, this involves different interpretations of sovereignty being advanced by various states.
• Nuclear security
  • How does the threat of nuclear conflict affect the behavior of states within the region?
• Regionalism
  • What kind of region is East Asia? Co-operative and integrative or conflictual and dysfunctional?
• Terrorism
  • How does it affect states in East Asia?
• China-Taiwan relations
  • What is the nature of this unresolved conflict
• US strategic rebalancing to Asia
  • Has it happened? Should it happen?
• Global economic rebalancing
  • What is (and will be) the impact of Asia’s rising economic prosperity on the international system?

For actions/behavior, recent ones include:

• US Freedom of Navigation passages through the South China Sea (are these effective?)
• China’s actions in the region (are these assertive?)
• North Korea’s behavior (is it rational?)
• Japan (should it have a military already?)

The above are suggestions; ultimately, the topic is open as long as it is related to international relations and relevant to the region of East Asia.

 

 

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