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"Howe, Brendan M"
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Democratic governance in Northeast Asia : a human-centered approach to evaluating democracy
Comprising case studies of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, this edited volume explores the key characteristics of democratic governance in Northeast Asia. Each democracy is assessed on the extent to which it enables the flourishing of social capital; prioritizes the interests of all as characterized by freedom from fear and want; and empowers all to participate in the democratic process and governance. With particular focus on the experience of minorities, this volume contends that the acid test of democratic governance is not how well the government represents the interests of the elites, or even the majority, but rather how it cares for the needs of vulnerable groups in society.--Page [4] of cover.
Book
Korea’s Role for Peacebuilding and Development in Asia
South Korea (Korea) lacks the compulsory power of regional and global great powers, but still strives to play a major role in the fields of peacebuilding and development. It is a middle power which, due to geopolitical constraints, is unable to play the neutral or brokering role of traditional middle powers, and thus must turn to other areas of agenda setting and niche diplomacy. This article examines policy arenas for which Korea is particularly well suited to playing such a role, and in which Korea can have a major impact, significantly to the mutual advantage of Korea and its regional partners. In order to do so to the best of its ability, Korea needs to shift its policy emphasis from bilateral to multilateral endeavors.
Journal Article
East Asian Security Cooperation Shortcomings and Opportunities for Second-Tier Actors in the Region
This article assesses the promise of security cooperation through the mechanisms of international organization in East Asia, a region where such approaches face the gravest challenges. The article first considers the mechanisms through which multilateral international organizations and other related institutions look to promote international governance and security cooperation between states, and why this has proven so difficult in East Asia. It then turns to the regional rise of security minilateralism, as well as why this may also not be the answer to the peaceful management of international relations between sovereign state entities. Finally, the article turns to policy prescriptions for second-tier powers, a new category of actor, to contribute to the transformation of conflictual relations in the region. These actors are key to the new conceptualizations of international organization presented herein: non-traditional security (NTS) minilateralism and regional international commissions. The central research questions are: [1] Why has international organizational security cooperation proven elusive in East Asia, and multilateralism failed? [2] Can the rise of security \"minilateralism\" in the region fill the void? [3] How can newly empowered regional actors address the shortcomings in the international management of relations in East Asia?
Journal Article
Building Enduring Peace in Northeast Asia: Overcoming Perceptional and Positional Obstacles
The processes of making foreign policy decisions and forming assumptions about the nature of the \"other\" comprise major challenges to the transformation of conflictual relationships and construction of an enduring peace in Northeast Asia. In this article, in order to make progress towards these goals, methodologies for unpacking the \"black box of decision,\" understanding the \"other,\" deconstructing the relationship between positions and interests, and increasing the role played by non-state and sub-state actors are explored. The paper first assesses theoretical and practical tools used for addressing the problems. It then considers other conflictual relationships that have faced similar obstacles, and the processes which were employed in an attempt to ameliorate them. It concludes with a policy prescription for breaking the vicious cycle of hurt, blame, and rising nationalism in the region.
Journal Article
Good Governance and Human Security in Malaysia: Sarawak's Hydroelectric Conundrum
Good governance is an essentially contested concept. In Asian countries, economic efficiency and macro-economic projects have predominantly been pursued with the aim of promoting national, aggregate measurements of development. Hydroelectric power generation projects have played a central role in the national planning of several regional states as part of an attempt to achieve these goals. Even by their own terms of reference, however, hydroelectric power projects have at most a mixed record of success, and are increasingly criticized with regard to their negative impact on the environment, and upon vulnerable groups. The government of Malaysia has embraced the \"developmental state\" model, and this is best illustrated by governance initiatives and resource exploitation in the East Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah and their respective \"development corridors\". Sarawak's Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) is the most visible sign of Malaysia's macro-economic hydroelectric development focus, as Sabah's corridor focuses on trade, investment, and tourism. This article takes a critical perspective towards good governance, emphasizing that it should function in the interests of all society, but in particular the most vulnerable. It therefore addresses the impact of Malaysian hydroelectric development policies on one of the most vulnerable sections of Malaysian society, the indigenous peoples of Sarawak. The findings cast doubt on the validity of continued prioritization of hydroelectric dam construction as a cornerstone of government energy and development policy.
Journal Article
Continuity and Change: Evolution, Not Revolution, in Japan's Foreign and Security Policy Under the DPJ
In this article, we address four common, often contradictory misconceptions concerning Japanese foreign and security policy. First, Japan's strategic \"normalization\" is dangerous. Second, Japan is incapable of having a \"normal\" policy. Third, Japan is about to become \"normal.\" Fourth, foreign and security policy under the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) will differ radically from what it was for fifty years under the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). We contend that Japan is not a threat; that it has a security policy, but not one that fits well with Western models; and that Japan's security policy is changing, gradually not radically, and is not becoming just like the West's.
Journal Article