Political Science 30280
International Relations in East
Asia
Fall, 2010
Teacher: Peter Moody
534 Flanner, 1:30-2:30; MW,
9:00-10:00 F, and by appointment
The semester is organized into
nine specialized topics treating the international politics of the East Asian
region. In addition to the regular class discussions of each topic, there will
be a so-called special panel discussion for each, in which students will take
the lead, make presentations, and argue with each other. The readings for the
semester should either be available on the internet or on electronic reserve in
the library.
In order to keep up with current developments, students should, at least for the semester, subscribe to The Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network Daily Report, a free electronic newsletter. To join the network and receive the Daily Report by email, visit: http://www.nautilus.org/napsnet/signup.html
General course requirements:
1. Class attendance, completion on time of assigned readings
2. As part if class participation, and as an aid to class preparation, students should be expected to respond to e-mailed quizzes sent from time to time, answering questions both on the assigned reading and on current Asian developments.
3. Also as part of class participation, participation in two “panel discussions” on the topics under consideration during the semester. These are scattered throughout the semester. For the panel assignment, students should do the appropriate assigned reading for the topic, define for themselves (with the help of the teacher) a problem related to the topic that deserves further discussion, do further research on that topic to inform themselves about that problem, and present their findings to other panel members and the class, for the purpose of treating each topic in greater depth.
4. Two written assignments, based upon the panels: After the conclusion of each discussion, students will prepare brief (say, 10-15 page) essays summarizing their research and the conclusions they reached as a result of that research.
3. A midterm examination
4. A final examination
August 27. General introduction: Asia in world affairs, in international relations, and in political science
Gregory Moore, “From the Ground up,” Journal of Contemporary China, May, 2004, pp. 391-408. (Academic Search Premier)
TOPIC 1: COMMUNISM AND THE COLD WAR
August 30. The “loss” of China
Tang Tsou, America’s Failure in China, 1941-1950, (1963) Ch. XIII (electronic reserve)
Jay Taylor, The Generalissimo (2009), Chs. 5, 6 (electronic reserve).
September 1. The Sino-Soviet alliance and split
Ivan Kovalev, “Stalin’s Dialogue with Mao Zedong,” Journal of Northeast Asian Studies, 10, 4 (Winter, 1992). (Academic Search Premier)
September 3. Communism in Vietnam
Bernard Fall, The Two Vietnams, (1964) Chs. 6, 12 (electronic reserve)
September 6. The American involvement in Vietnam
Ellen J. Hammer, A Death in November, (1987) Chs. 9, 10 (electronic reserve)
September 8. Sino-American détente
James Mann, About Face, (1999) Chs. 1, 2 (electronic
reserve)
September 10. The End in Vietnam
Arnold Isaacs, Without Honor (1983), Ch. 2 (electronic reserve)
TOPIC 2: THE QUESTION OF TAIWAN
September 13. Taiwan background
Alan Wachman, Why Taiwan? (2007), Chs. 4, 5 (electronic reserve)
September 15. Taiwan in the Cold War
Chen Jian, Mao’s China and the Cold War, (2001) Ch. 7 (electronic reserve)
September 17. The American reconciliation with China
Dennis Van Vranken Hickey, “America’s Two-Point Policy and the Future of Taiwan,” Asian Survey, August 1988 (JSTOR)
September 20. One country, two systems
Yang Shangkun, “A Talk to the Correspondents of China Times” (September 24, 1990). Chinese Law and Government (May-June 2002). (Academic Search Premier)
September 22. Taiwan’s democratization
Yu-shan Wu, “Taiwan’s Domestic Politics and Cross-Strait Relations,” China Journal, January 2005 (Academic Search Premier)
September 24. The “threat” of Taiwan independence
Peter Moody, “The Evolution of China’s National Interest: Implications for Taiwan,” in Identity and Change in East Asian Conflicts, (2007) edited by Shale Horowitz, Uk Heo, and Alexander Tan (2007) (electronic reserves)
PANEL DISCUSSION 1
September 27. The Cold War in Asia
Some possible discussion topics:
Could the hostility between America and China after 1949 have been avoided?
Did the United States have an option to remain outside the conflict in Vietnam?
To what extent did Sino-Soviet relationships turn on ideology rather than interest?
What was the policy of China and the Soviet Union toward “wars of national liberation”? How were their positions similar, and how different?
Did the United States make too many concessions to win China’s favor?
What role should a consideration of human right play in America’s Asian policy?
Did the United States sell out South Vietnam?
To what extent does anti-communism explain America’s policies during the Cold War?
TOPIC 3 KOREA
September 29. Background
Gregory Henderson, Korea: The Politics of the Vortex (1968), Chapter 5 (electronic reserves)
October 1. The Korean war
Shen Zhihua, “Sino-Soviet Relations and the Origins of the Korean War: Stalin’s Strategic Goals in the Far East,” Journal of Cold War Studies, 2 (Spring, 2000). (Academic Search Premier)
October 4. The Korean states
Aurel Croissant, “Riding the Tiger: Civilian Control and the Military in Democratizing Korea,” Armed Forces and Society, Spring 2004 (Academic Search Premier)
Phillip Park, “The Future of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” Journal of Contemporary Asia, 31, 1 (2001). (Academic Search Premier)
October 6. Korea and the end of the Cold War
Hong Liu, “The Sino-South Korean Normalization: a Triangular Explanation,” Asian Survey (November 1993). (JSTOR)
October 8. North Korean Nuclear Diplomacy
Walter C. Clemens, “Negotiating to Control Weapons of Mass Destruction in North Korea,” International Negotiation, 2005 (Academic Search Premier)
October 11. The Standoff
Virginie Grzelczyk, “The Six-Party Talks and Negotiation Strategy: When Do We Get There?” International Negotiation, 14, 1 (2009) (Academic Search Premier)
October 13 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
October 15. Flexible day: discussion of current events, or possibly a movie.
PANEL DISCUSSION 2: CHINA AND TAIWAN
October 25. Some possible discussion topics:
Exactly what are the terms regarding Taiwan in the American recognition of the PRC?
Could the United States have gotten a better deal on the Taiwan issue?
What exactly, if any, are the American obligations toward Taiwan?
Should Taiwan be considered “part of China,” or should it be considered a country in its own right?
How feasible is the formula of one country, two systems?
Is there anything Taiwan can do to expand its “international space”?
How likely is a Chinese attack on Taiwan in the next three to four years?
In the event of war, could Taiwan defend itself without American help?
What would be the international implications of war in the Taiwan Strait?
TOPIC 4. JAPAN AND THE ASIAN ECONOMIC BOOM
October 27. The American Occupation of Japan and the Yoshida Doctrine
Tetsuya Kataoka, The Price of a Constitution, Chs. 2, 4 (electronic reserve)
October 29. America, Japan, and the Cold War
Keiko Hirata, “Who Shapes Japan’s National Security Debate,” Asian Affairs, Fall, 2005 (Academic Search Premier)
November 1. Flying Geese
Kent Calder,
Roy Hofheinz, The Eastasia Edge (1982), Ch. 6. (electronic reserves)
November 3.
America’s cold war against Asia?
Edward Olsen, “Target Japan as America’s Economic Foe,” Orbis, 36, 4 (Fall, 1994). (Academic Search Premier)
November 5.
Asian values
Michael D.
Barr, “Lee Kwan Yew and the ‘Asian Values’ Debate,” Asian Studies Review,
September 2004 (Academic Search Premier).
November 8.
Asian troubles
D. Peng,
“Invisible Linkages: A Regional Perspective of East Asian Political Economy,” International
Studies Quarterly, September 2002.
PANEL
DISCUSSION 3: KOREA
November 10. Some possible discussion topics
Was the Korean war an international conflict or a civil war?
How was the United States able to get UN sanction for its intervention in Korea
Did China join the Korean war for reasons of self-defense or for other reasons?
Is there any feasible way for the Korean peninsula to be reunified?
What are some sources of anti-Americanism in South Korea?
Why did North Korea not collapse around 1989-1991, as almost all the other communist states did?
What will become of North Korea after the death or dethronement of Kim Jong Il?
Can the international community tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea?
TOPIC 5: THE RISE OF CHINA
November 12. China and America: mutual disillusionment
Lowell Dittmer, “Chinese Human Rights and American Foreign Policy: A Realist Approach,” Review of Politics, 63, 3 (Summer 2001). (JSTOR)
November 15. The Chinese development strategy.
Hu Shaohua, “Balancing Development and Democracy,” World Affairs, Fall, 1998, pp. 62-72 (Academic Search Premier)
November 17. Is there a China threat?
Peter Hays Gries, “A ‘China Threat’?” World Affairs, Fall, 1999 (Academic Search Premier)
John Ikenberry, “The Rise of China and the Future of the West,” Foreign Affairs, January/February 2008 (Academic Search Premier)
November 19. Chinese military development and Chinese soft power
Zheng Bijian, “China’s Peaceful Rise to Great Power Status,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 2005 (Academic Search Premier)
Liu Yazhou, “A New Type of War and a New Type of Army,” Chinese Law and Government, January/February 2008 (Academic Search Premier)
PANEL DISCUSSION 4. JAPAN AND THE ASIAN ECONOMIES
November 22. Some possible discussion topics
Compare the American position with respect to Japan around 1990 and with respect to China now.
Would the Asian model be possible in an age of increased globalization?
To what extent do American interests in Asia require a preponderance of American military power in the region, and to what extent is military power irrelevant to American interests?
Should the recent economic troubles revive interest in the so-called Asian model?
To what extent is the concept of human rights a product of specific western historical developments and to what extent does it reflect universally valid truths?
Was the American demand for a “level playing field” designed to foster specifically American interests, or was it a demand that all countries, including the United States, should play by the same set of rules?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of an economic development policy centered on the promotion of exports?
November 29. Sources of international tension
Zhao Hong, “China’s Oil Venture in Africa,” East Asia: An International Quarterly, Winter 2007 (Academic Search Premier)
Ian Storey, “China’s ‘Malacca Dilemma,’” China Brief, 6, 8 (April 12, 2006). http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=415&issue_id=3686&article_id=2370974
Chien-Peng Chung, “Resolving China’s Island Disputes: a Two-Level Game Analysis,” Journal of Chinese Political Science, Spring 2007 (Academic Search Premier)
December 1 China and the global financial crisis
William Overholt, “China in the Global Financial Crisis,” Washington Quarterly, 33, 1 (Winter 2009/2010) (Academic Search Premier)
PANEL DISCUSSION 5: THE RISE OF CHINA
December 3. Some possible topics for discussion
Realist theory seems to assert that a major change in the balance of power, including the appearance of a new world power, is likely to cause or to result from a major war. Does China refute realism on this point?
To what extent do China and the United States share common interests, and to what extent do their interests clash?
To what extent is Chinese economic growth sustainable? To what extent, if any, is it illusory?
Some argue that the sub-prime crisis and its consequences show that the era of American hegemony is coming to an end and that democracy and free trade will no longer be the dominant international norms. How about this?
As Chinese economic and military power grows, what will be the policy reactions of China’s Asian neighbors?
REVIEW AND CONCLUSIONS
December 6. Asia as the world core?
Vincent Shie, Craig Meer, “Is This the Asian Century?” Journal of Contemporary Asia, Februry 2010 (Academic Search Premier)
December 8. Review and conclusions