Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific
Author: David Fedman, Stanford University
Today marks the 61st anniversary of the first salvoes of the Korean War. As such, it is a fitting occasion for a candid assessment of the American position on the Korean Peninsula, and the ways in which the legacy of this conflict has shaped the current foreign policy landscape in Northeast Asia and beyond.
Author: David Fedman, Stanford University
We are well into the Democratic Party of Japan administration and it is patently clear that Japan’s leadership is taking engagement with its East Asian neighbours seriously. Major missions of DPJ lawmakers to China, high-level cabinet meetings with South Korean counterparts, and northeast Asian trilateral summits have signalled a newfound interest in and commitment to diplomacy and détente in the neighbourhood.
This ‘New Asianism’—to borrow a phrase from Daniel Sneider—was clearly outlined in the DPJ’s pre-election manifesto: ‘the DPJ will make the greatest possible effort to develop relations of mutual trust with China, South Korea and other Asian nations, and to strengthen the bonds of solidarity with Asian countries within the framework of the international community’. Read more…