This book explores the transformation of the American-led alliances, as well as of US allies’ responses to potential American disengagement from regional security amid the rising Russian and Chinese threats. The post-Cold War international order has led to three challenges for the West. The first challenge was the ending of the Cold War, which had served as the fundamental rationale of the US-centred alliance systems in both Europe and Asia. The second challenge was that while the fear of US disengagement in the post-Cold War era was initially about its political willingness, the relative decline of the US has gradually turned the question into that of capability. And the third challenge is that for the first time since very long, a war in which one of the great (nuclear) powers is involved takes place on European territory. In Europe, the immediate consequence of the war has been a strengthening of NATO. In Asia and the Indo-Pacific, regional reactions to the war have been much more muted, for the division between “friends and foes” remains less clear-cut than in Europe. The chapters in this volume bridge the dynamics in the European and Asian theatres and provide a comparative framework for examining security alignments amid the shifting strategic context of the Indo-Pacific. With 4 new chapters and a revised Introduction, this book will be of great interest to students and researchers of Politics and International Relations, Asian and European studies. The other chapters were originally published in Asian Affairs.

This handbook explores the significance of Indo-Pacific in world politics. It shows how the re-emergence of the Indo-Pacific in international relations has fundamentally changed the approach to politics, economics, and security. The volume: * Explores the themes related to trade, politics and security for better understanding of the Indo-Pacific and the repercussions of the regions' emergence; * Studies different security and political issues in the region: military competition, maritime governance, strategic alliances and rivalries, and international conflicts; * Analyzes various socio-economic dimensions of the Indo-Pacific like political systems, cultural and religious contexts, and trade and financial systems; * Examines the strategies of various states and their approaches towards Indo-Pacific like the USA, Japan, India, and China; * Covers the role of middle powers and small states in detail. Interdisciplinary in approach and with essays from authors from around the world, the volume will be indispensable to scholars and researchers in the field of international relations, politics, and Asian studies.

This book interprets the changing nature of Japanese foreign policy through the concepts of identity, culture and memory. It goes beyond rational interpretation of material interests and focus on values and ideas that are inseparable and pervasive in Japanese domestic and foreign policy. A set of chapters written by established Japanese and foreign experts show the nuances of Japanese self-images and their role in defining their understanding of the world. Stemming from historical memories of World War Two, the reconciliation between Japan and other Asian countries, the formation of Japanese self in media discourse to the role of self-perception in defining Japanese contemporary foreign and economic policies, the book offers a holistic insight into Japanese psyche and its role in the political world. It will be of utmost interest not only to the scholars of Japanese foreign policy, but also to a wide public interested in understanding the uniqueness of Japanese state and its people.

"The lost two decades" of Japan's economic power since the early 1990s have generated the image among scholars in the discipline of international relations (IR) that Japan is no longer a significant player. Hence, today's IR literature focuses on the rise of China. Re-rising Japan: Its Strategic Power in International Relations challenges this trend by showing up-to-date evidence that Japan is still a major power in today's international relations where the interests and power of the United States and China have increasingly clashed over many issues. Indeed, since the Abe cabinet re-emerged in December 2012, there has been growing academic interest in Japan's bold monetary/financial/social policies (Abenomics) and relatively assertive security policy. Where is Japan heading, and what path has it taken since the 2000s? This book responds to these questions. Re-rising Japan assembles the latest studies on Japan written by today's young and energetic scholars. It consists of three parts: (1) Geopolitics, (2) Domestic Political-Social Norms and Values, and (3) Asian Regional Integration and Institutionalizations. The individual chapters reveal what power assets Japan has and their strength and weakness in today's international relations. Readers will attain a complete picture of Japan and its evolving new strategy in the decaying U.S. unipolar system where China has been behaving as a revisionist state.

First Published in 2009. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This edited volume offers diverse and comprehensive views of China's rise and its implications to the East Asian region and beyond. The economic growth of China, initially started in the late-1970s with domestic and rural reforms, has been increasingly driven by China's industrialization and integration into the regional and global markets. The growth and integration of China, however, has exposed China's closest neighbours and even more remote countries to its various (previously internal) problems, and the lagging political openness of China has often negatively impacted on cooperation with other countries in dealing with these problems (i.e. trans-border pollutions, epidemics, illegal migrations, organized crimes, financial management, etc.). This book integrates geopolitical and domestic political analysis of China with a broad set of transnational security issues, and includes a diversity of regional views. In doing so, it explores further than the dichotomous debate between the American realists and liberals, adding finesse to the often simplified discussions on how to deal with the rising China. This book will be of interest to students of Asian Politics, Security Studies and International Relations.

This volume discusses the relationship between economics, geopolitics and regional institutional growth and development in the Asia-Pacific region. How do states (re)define their relationships amid the current global power transition? How do rival actors influence the rules and formation of new institutions for their own benefit? What role will institutions take as independent actors in influencing and constraining the behavior of states? Institutional development in Asia is characterized by idiosyncratic and diverse motivations (both material and non-material), a variety of policy strategies (strategic and norm-based), and the looming question of China's future depth of involvement as its economic position becomes more stable and its confidence in foreign affairs grows. The book reflects the broadening definition of Asia by examining multiple perspectives, including Japan, China, South Korea, the United States, Australia, India, Russia, and Taiwan. In addition to state actors, the contributors address several important regional institutions in development such as the ASEAN (+3, +6, and the East Asian Summit), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), existing security alliances, and other bilateral institutions. Ultimately, this volume describes the unique, slow, and diverse growth of a multitude of regional institutions, the complexities of generating cooperation, membership concerns, and competition between states and with existing institutions in the context of China's increasing confidence and strength. This book will be of much interest to students of Asian politics, regional security, international organizations, and foreign policy.

Japan in a Dynamic Asia examines a new phenomenon in Japanese foreign policy: Japan's increasing activism under the Koizumi administration. Behind this policy shift are the end of the Cold War, drastic growth of China, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and new transnational security threats. This book updates our understanding of Japan's rapidly changing foreign policies in the contexts of the new regional power balance and security concerns. Unlike most books on Japanese foreign policy, which focus mainly on U.S.-Japan relations, this book analyzes Japan's relations with individual Asian countries and sub-regions. The role of the United States - when relevant - is discussed in the contexts of these bilateral and multilateral relations. Editors Yoichiro Sato and Satu Limaye have gathered an impressive array of essays that will interest students of Japanese politics, foreign policy, and international relations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan in a Dynamic Asia examines a new phenomenon in Japanese foreign policy: Japan's increasing activism under the Koizumi administration. Behind this policy shift are the end of the Cold War, drastic growth of China, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and new transnational security threats. This book updates our understanding of Japan's rapidly changing foreign policies in the contexts of the new regional power balance and security concerns. Unlike most books on Japanese foreign policy, which focus mainly on U.S.-Japan relations, this book analyzes Japan's relations with individual Asian countries and sub-regions. The role of the United States - when relevant - is discussed in the contexts of these bilateral and multilateral relations. Editors Yoichiro Sato and Satu Limaye have gathered an impressive array of essays that will interest students of Japanese politics, foreign policy, and international relations in the Asia-Pacific region.