Identities & Security in East Asia
Edition: 1 edition
Series: Adelphi Papers, 325
Publisher: Routledge
Published: May 30, 1999
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 88
ISBN-13: 9780199224210
Subjects: Diplomacy; International institutions; Liberalism & centre democratic ideologies; Peace studies; Political Science; Politics / Current Events; Politics/International Relations; East Asia, Far East; Asia - General; History & Theory - General; Political Science / General; Political Science / International Security; Political Freedom & Security - International Secur
Description: Although East Asia has been relatively free from large-scale conflict in the 1990s, the absence of security organisation or even a sense of community within the region has raised doubts about its future security. China and Japan are likely to bear much of the responsibility for maintaining stability, but both countries have been reluctant to adopt a leadership role. South-east Asian states have been willing to take the initiative outside their sub-region, but they possess neither the resources nor the authority to lead the whole of East Asia. In this environment, issues of identity -- shaped by numerous factors, some of them static such as religion and ethnicity, others more complex, such as "national pride" and past history -- can be as crucial as questions of national interest. This paper analyses the ways in which this sense of identity has affected the actions of the key players in East Asia, and assesses the prospects for the region's future security.