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Discuss whether alliances are sources of stability or instability in Asian…

- - - - Sino-Japan relations (Kim, Oct.17)
        
        MAIN ISSUE: East China Sea surrounding 'inhabited small islands and rocks' known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan
        o closely related to important interests of other countries, e.g. US, as both China and Japan have ties with country; BASICALLY, TERRITORIAL DISPUTES = IMPORTANCE INTENRATIONALLY!!; US not wanting to be dragged into wars, and wanting to promote peace in region...
        
        The relations between China and Japan, two largest economies in Asia and an inextricably tied power dyad bound by their geostrategic proximity and economic/cultural integration, ‘bear directly on peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world as a whole’ (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, 2012) (p.51)
    - - ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), key example of strategy of engaging many big powers, Asian and others, i.e. US, even EU into regional security dialogue (p.124); focusing on regional security = stability in region
      - Omni-enmeshment function → cooperative security: states cooperate with each other through ascription to norms and principles such as TAC, and through informal dialogue and exchange, cultivating a climate of conflict avoidance and functional cooperation shared issue areas" (p.131);
        o is conflict avoidance the best way for stability... looking at Korean Peninsula, and 38th parallel... is that considered stability?
    - - Sino-Japan relations (Kim, Oct.17)
        
        Economic reasons → economic cooperation, need for regional stability amongst two nations
        
        Regional Stability → looking almost at regional hegemony, and how when stability is in favor of Japan and/or China it's good, but if other power tries grasping more power, it is seen as a 'threat to regional stability...'
    - - The Revised Security Treaty of 1960
        
        10-year time limit, decennial renewal; has been renewed and is is today
        
        More of a collective defense agreement than the treaty signed in 1952
        **Joint defense area (“territories under Japanese administration”)
        
        stil kinda of a restricted view...
        
        *Seen as adding stability b/c shows how US sees Japan and the seriousness these two nations are with each other...
- - - - TREATIES NOT REALLY HELPING ALLIANCE PER SE, JUST HINDERING JAPAN FROM BECOMING BIG POWER!!
    - - NOT REALLY A SOURCE OF STABILITY, JUST IMRPVOING RELATIONS B/W COUNTRIES BUT NOT HELPING MUCH WITH ASIAN IR IN ITSELF!
        
        EX: Yoshida Doctrine; every incoming Japanese PM sticking with Yoshida Doctrine, US not liking it b/c they are seeing Japan enrich itself while US is freeriding...; wants Japan to spend on military defenses, Japan says no...
    - - North Korea not giving up on reunifying Korea under its rule; Kim Il Sung fighting Japanese forces (Kwantong army) in Manchuria; even now descendants fight each other (North Korea and Japan having SOUR SOUR relations!! SWORN ENEMIES!
    - - Increase defense budget to 2 percent of GDP by 2027
        
        Restructure Self Defense Force (SDF) to better meet security challenges in the southwest
        (East China Sea, Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands)
        
        Pursue closer operational, strategic, and institutional integration of the SDF with US armed
        forces
  - - - South Korean government under Syngman Rhee signs a Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States as soon as an armistice is signed with North Korea on July 27, 1953;
        - FORMALIZE hierarchical relationship b/w US and S. Korea as a security patron and security client
      - US chose a bilateral mode of alliance-making in East Asia to maximize its power over allies; interact with US 1-1, but did few exchanges in military sphere among American-Asian allies
      - The US-ROK alliance sought to constrain aggressive leaders like Syngman Rhee who might embroil the United States in unwanted regional wars that could escalate to a world war
        - ONCE AGAIN LOOKING AT US INTERSETS, NOT OF ASIA!
      - When North Korean targets missiles, looks at Camp Humphreys (Pyeongtaek)...; nearly 1000 tests have been conducted, since 2011;
        
        ballistic missile defense
      - The US-ROK alliances places certain constraints on the South Koreans, in return for a firm security guarantee from the US to protect South Korea from any external attack; South Korean president does not possess wartime operational control over
        the ROK armed forces
        
        US-led United Nations Command and then the US-led Combined Forces Command HAS CONTROL OVER SOUTH KOREAN MILITARY DURING WARTIME!
        
        --Unique how leader of sovereign state doesn't have control..
        
        *having Peacetime operational control returned to ROK in 1994 but would need wartime operational control for it to benefit ROK more...
        
        Full operational capacity assessment was being done in 2021, but the Yoon Suk Ryeol government does not seem to want Opcon back; sees more benefits in trusting the US-led command to do the job;
        
        full dependency and will of US
      - Recent issues in Alliance
        
        Nuclear sharing?
        -- If ROK has nuclear weapons, w/o wartime operational control, its in hands of US to decide how to use it...; NEED WARTIME OP CON BACK, then see what can happen
        
        Talk of nuclear weapons is mostly a 'ploy' to let N. Korea know what's up, but mostly talk
        
        ECONOMY! US Inflation Reduction Act (Re-shoring, friend-shoring American productive capacity back, and not relying on adversaries like China) and pressures on South Korean manufacturers and exporters to navigate problems caused by their position in the global supply chain of key technical products
        -- South Korea exports lots to China, e.g. building electronic vehicles for cars, components from China... Americans doesn't want that, want S.Koreans to export them to US