[EAI-CISS NASD 2008] Great Power Concert: The Cornerstone of East Asian Regional Security Cooperation

EAI-CISS Joint China-Korea Northeast Asia Security Dialogue

Student Forum

Student Working Paper Series No. 1-1

Zhu Xiaoyu, Master's Candidate, School of International Relations, Peking University

Abstract

Despite the presence of numerous great powers in the East Asian region, an effective system for security cooperation remains lacking. Can great powers combine traditional realist concepts with emerging liberal concepts? Furthermore, can this establish an effective foundation for East Asian security? To discuss these issues, this paper will first address concepts related to cooperative security, security cooperation, and great power concert. It will then analyze the significance of great power concert for East Asian security cooperation from theoretical, historical, and practical perspectives. The paper argues that great power concert is the cornerstone of East Asian security cooperation and will also play a crucial role in establishing regional security cooperation based on the Six-Party Talks. Finally, this paper will predict the impact of great power arrangements on East Asian security cooperation, considering the specific circumstances of the region.

Keywords: East Asian Security, Cooperative Security, Security Cooperation, Great Power Concert, Six-Party Talks

Introduction

The East Asian region holds significant importance in contemporary international relations studies. Numerous scholars are focusing their research on East Asian security issues. Although conflicts have been incessant worldwide since the end of the Cold War, the East Asian region has maintained a state of peace for approximately 20 years without war. For instance, while security tensions such as the Taiwan Strait crisis and the North Korean nuclear crisis have occurred, actual military conflicts have been avoided. Nevertheless, an effective and institutionalized security cooperation system in the East Asian region has yet to be established. With a concentration of multiple great powers and a developed economy, the East Asian region is often cited as having the most complex inter-state relations. The establishment of a security cooperation system in East Asia requires an understanding of the practical situation, alongside consideration of theoretical aspects.

Considering the situation in the East Asian region, the absence of a regional security cooperation system has hindered the effective management and coordination of geopolitical issues, including long-standing territorial and maritime disputes, nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula, and the standoff in the Taiwan Strait. This has exacerbated existing security dilemmas and, furthermore, increased the possibility of miscalculation, thereby threatening regional security. Moreover, such regional security instability has unfavorably impacted regional integration, acting as an obstacle to economic cooperation and development within the region, as well as to the improvement of living standards for the people of each country. More importantly, given that China, the United States, and the Korean Peninsula already hold significant meaning and play crucial roles in global security, crises in regional security issues have a high potential to become impediments to global security. In today's world, regional security crises, along with localized security crises occurring in one nation, possess global ripple effects. In this sense, East Asian security issues are not merely matters of regional governance but are critically important issues with global implications (Andrew et al. 2005; See Zhu Feng 2005).

In light of international relations theories, discussions on East Asian security largely encompass propositions related to great powers. From 'the rise of great powers' to 'power transition,' from 'territorial disputes' to 'historical issues,' from 'the fervent momentum of democracy' to 'transition to domestic institutions,' and from 'resource competition' to 'maritime security,' and from 'cultural pluralism and historical background' to 'unique ethnic characteristics,' diverse international relations theories and viewpoints exist regarding East Asian security (Zhu Feng 2007a).

Scholars with a pessimistic view of realism believe that factors such as regional politics, conflicts of interest, historical issues, and national sentiments contribute to the instability of the East Asian region's future. They also contend that clashes between great powers are unavoidable and that Europe's yesterday could become Asia's today. Specifically, according to the views of John J. Mearsheimer, a representative of offensive realism, as China's economy develops, its potential to establish a powerful military apparatus or seize hegemony increases (Friedberg 1993/94, 7). Consequently, it will clash with the United States, the current hegemon, and fall into the 'tragedy of great power politics'.

However, optimistic realists argue that while China's rising influence in Asia may entail costs for the United States, these are neither fatal nor substantial (John J. Mearsheimer 2008, 420). Instead, they suggest that a stable strategic relationship can be established through American development, leading to a stable 'bipolar relationship' in East Asia where the United States and China can jointly strive for regional security (Shambaugh 2006).

Liberal institutionalists also express an optimistic outlook on the future of the East Asian region (Ross 1999, 117). They view East Asia as one of the regions that has benefited the most from the post-Cold War era. As economic interdependence increases, the cost a nation must bear due to competition also rises. If regionalism can be leveraged, it will bring about an 'over-effect' in the function of security cooperation. Furthermore, an effective cooperative structure can be formed in the security domain, and a bright future for East Asian security can be foreseen (Zhu Feng 2007a, 140)... (continued)