Theories of the product cycle, hegemony, and the world system are used to analyze the creation and development of the Northeast Asian political economy in this century. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have each developed in a particular relationship with the others; the three taken together form a hierarchical, constantly interacting political-economic unit. During the period of colonial rule Japan was unique in building an imperial economic unit marked by a strong role for the state (whether in Tokyo or Taipei), by a tight, integral Unking of all three nations into a communications and transport network running toward the metropole, and by a strategy of both using the colonies for agricultural surpluses and then locating industries there. After 1945 a diffuse American hegemony replaced Japan's unilateral system, but elements of the prewar model have survived: strong states direct economic development in South Korea and Taiwan (here termed “bureaucratic-authoritarian industrializing regimes”); both countries are receptacles for Japan's declining industries; and both countries develop in tandem, if in competition, with each other. The most recent export-led competition has seen Taiwan succeed where South Korea has (temporarily?) failed, leaving Seoul in an export-led “trap,” burdened with rapidly increasing external debt. Taiwan, furthermore, has industrialized relatively free of social disruption, whereas Korean society resisted its transformation at Japanese hands and remains more rebellious today. There can be one Japan and one Taiwan, but not two or many of either, in the world economy.

The Origins of the Cold War in Asia

The origins and development of the Northeast Asian political economy: industrial sectors, product cycles, and political consequences

1. Introduction 2. Fear, interest and honor 3. The spirit and its expression 4. The ancient world 5. Medieval Europe 6. From Sun King to Revolution 7. Imperialism and World War I 8. World War II 9. Hitler to Bush and beyond 10. General findings and conclusions.

/pdf/a-cultural-theory-of-international-relations-4bpcaeiy8z.pdf

A Cultural Theory of International Relations

T h e end of the Cold War and the phenomenal increase in Japan’s economic and technological power put Japan today in the position to become, if it chooses, a military as well as economic superpower. The diminution of the Soviet threat and the increasing U.S. preoccupation with domestic problems give Japan a latitude for independent action it has not had since the end of World War 11. At the same time the U.S.-Japanese security alliance, which has enabled Japan to adopt a minimalist approach to defense and national security, is being weakened by ideologically charged trade and other economic frictions and a growing American perception of Japan as a threat to its interests.’ Moreover, in the long run Japan faces the prospect of having to deal with other rising regional powers, most notably the People’s Republic of China. This changing international security environment thus raises question whether Japan, having become an economic rival of the United States, may not in the future become a military competitor as well; whether, after having adopted a pacifist stance for half a century, Japan may choose to unsheathe its sword once again2

/pdf/from-sword-to-chrysanthemum-japan-s-culture-of-anti-4yc2eggfwe.pdf

From Sword to Chrysanthemum: Japan's Culture of Anti-militarism

The story of China's international position from 1931 to 1949 indicates that Japanese aggression, and the ways in which other nations coped with it, served steadily to transform the country from being a weak victim of invasion into a world power, a partner in defining a stable framework of peace. The two factors, China's relative insignificance in international economic relations, and its increasing domestic unity, provided the background of the country's troubles after 1931. On the eve of the Manchurian incident, Chiang Kai-shek's authority had been steadily extended, having weathered serious challenges from some warlords and party dissidents. The Chinese-Japanese conflict over Manchuria was a clash of forces between an industrial country going through severe economic difficulties and a predominantly agricultural society determined to regain and retain national rights. Two years after the Mukden incident, it was clear that while the Manchurian crisis might have given the powers an excellent opportunity to solidify the postwar international system.

Japanese aggression and China's international position 1931–1949

Volume 1. Dimensions of the Early American Empire, 1754-1865: 1. Origins of the American empire and union 2. A perilous union, 1783-96 3. The 'Empire of Liberty' on land and sea 4. Towards hemispheric superiority 5. Freedom's empire 6. Expansionist vistas: Canada, Oregon, California, and Texas 7. Bulling Britain, conquering Mexico, claiming the canal 8. Disunion 9. The imperial crisis, 1861-5. Volume 2. The American Search for Opportunity, 1865-1913: 1. Springboards and strategies 2. The second industrial revolution at home and abroad 3. Race for empire 4. 'America will take this continent in hand along' 5. Crossing the oceans 6. 1893-6: chaos and crises 7. The empire of 1898 - and beyond 8. Pacific empire - and upheaval 9. Theodore Roosevelt: conservative as revolutionary 10. William Howard Taft and the age of revolution Conclusion: 11. The 1865-1913 era restated. Volume 3. The Globalizing of America, 1913-1945: 1. The age of European domination 2. The Great War and American neutrality 3. The United States at war 4. The Versailles peace 5. The 1920s: the security aspect 6. The 1920s: the economic aspect 7. The 1920s: the cultural aspect 8. The collapse of international order 9. Totalitarianism and the survival of democracy 10. The emergence of geopolitics 11. The road to Pearl Harbor 12. The global conflict. Volume 4. Challenges to American Primacy, 1945 to the Present: Part I. The Cold War: 1. At war's end: visions of a new world order 2. Origins of the Cold War 3. The Korean War and its consequences 4. New leaders and new arenas in the Cold War 5. Crisis revolution 6. America's longest war 7. The rise and fall of detente 8. In God's country 9. America and the world, 1945-91 Part II. After the Cold War: 10. The new world order 11. The 'war' against terrorism.

/pdf/the-new-cambridge-history-of-american-foreign-relations-cx78wn5e2a.pdf

The Origins of the Cold War in Asia

Citations

The origins and development of the Northeast Asian political economy: industrial sectors, product cycles, and political consequences

A Cultural Theory of International Relations

From Sword to Chrysanthemum: Japan's Culture of Anti-militarism

Japanese aggression and China's international position 1931–1949

The new Cambridge history of American foreign relations