The position and role o f East Asian regionalism have brought up an idea o f the tripartitc world o f \V estem Europe, North America and East Asia [1].. In the sam e vein, this paper is
Trang 1VNU Joum al of Science, S o đ a l Sciences a n d H u m an ities 24, No.SE (2010) 18-23
East Asian regionalism from Neo-realist perspective
Pham Van Min*
Colỉege o f Socìal Sciences and Humanities, VNU
336 Nguy en Trai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, Vietnam
R e c e iv e d 17 N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 9
A b s ỉ r a c ỉ T h is p a p c r is to te st s o m e b a s ic N e o - r e a lis t e x p la n a tio n s fo r r c g io n a lis m b y ta k in g a case study of East Asian r e g i o n a l i s m emerging a t the end o f 2 0 lh Century and the b e g i n n i n g o f 2 1 sl Century In detail, four basic Neo-realist standpoints vvith regard to rcgionalisni will be tested: a)
re g io n a lis m is in ílu e n c e d b y in te m a tio n a l s y ste m , b ) re g io n a l g ro u p in g is in rc s p o n s e to e x te rn a l
c h a l l c n g e s o r t h r e a t s , c ) s m a l ỉ e r s t a t c s s e e k r e g i o n a l c o o p c r a t i o n \v it h t h e s t r o n g i n t h e h o p e t h a t regional inslitutions vvill help thenì constraint it from ĩreedom o f action , and d) the hegemon has a roỉe in promoting regionalism The paper íỉnds that even though Neo-realism is unable to provide
a c o m p re h e n s iv c in tc rp re ta tio n , it h a s p r o v id e d s o m e im p o rta n t c x p la n a tio n s fo r E a s t A sia n
re g io n a lis m A p p ly in g N c o - r e a lis m to e x p la in E ast A s ia n r e g io n a lis m a s a n In te rn a tio n a l
p h e n o m e n o n h a s n o t o n ly lc s te d its re ỉe v a n c e a n d h e lp c d lo b c tte r u n d e r s ta n d it b u t a ls o in v ite d
e x p la n a tio n s fro m o th e r th e o rie s to re g io n a lism
K eyw ords: N c o -re a lis m , E a s t A s ia n R e g io n a lism
The resurgencc o f regionalism (in this
paper, regionalism is understood as regional
cooperaỉion and thcy arc used interchar.geably)
at the cnd o f the 20th C entury and in the
beginning o f the 21sỉ C entury is one o f the
system East Asian regionalism took root in the
sam e context The position and role o f East
Asian regionalism have brought up an idea o f
the tripartitc world o f \V estem Europe, North
America and East Asia [1] East Asian
regionalism has dravvn m uch attention from
academ ic com m unity and policy-m akers both
inside and outsidc the region M any have been
interested in explaining this trend in East Asia
'T e l.: 84-4-38583798
E-mail: m in@ ussh.edu.vn
from theoretical perspectives In the sam e vein, this paper is an effort to look at East Asian rcgionalism from N co-rcalist pcrspectivc in order to test its basic explanations for regionalism In dctail, thc follow ing Neo- realist argum cnts are tested: a) thc influence ol intem ational system on regional cooperation b) regionalism as a response to extem al challenges or threats, c) sm all states seek coopcration w ith the strong in order to constrain it from íreedom o f aclion through regional institutions and d) the role o f the hegcm on in prom oting regionalism The papcr íĩnds that N co-realism has provided important explanations for rcgionalism in East Asia, though they are not absolutely comprehensive
regionalism has not only tested its relevance to
18
Trang 2p v M in / VNU ịournnì o f Science, Social Sciences and H um anitừs 25, No 5E (2009) 18-23 19
regional cooperation as an I n t e r n a t i o n a l
phenom enon and hclpcd to bettcr undcrstand
East Asian regionalism but also pointed out
sonic aspccts o f regional cooperation that
invitc explanations from other theories
Based on thc theory o f Rcalism , Neo-
intem ational system T hcrclbre, N co-rcalism is
not considcred as a ncvv linc o f theory but it is
thc system ization o f R calism [2J A ccording to
N eo-rcalism , intem ational systcm is rcgardcd
as anarchical and I n t e r n a t i o n a l cooperation is
coopcration seems to posc a challcnge to both
Rcalism and N co-realism H ow ever, Nco-
rcalism can tcll us scvcral im portant things
about regionalism or regional cooperation
Firstly, N eo-realism holds that rcgionalism
is very m uch iníluenccd by intcm ational
structure In thc w ords o f H urrell, regional
cooperation is iníluenced by thc “extem al
c o n fig u ra tio n s o f p o w e r, th e d y n a m ic s o f
conslraining role o f thc International political
Accordingly, regionalism can bc undcrstood
b y c o n s i d c r i n g t h e i n í l u c n c c o f Inte rn atio n a l
system on thc rcgion N co-rcalists adducc the
increase o f intem ational coopcration in the
w orld aftcr the C old W ar to illustrate thcir
point At the end o f thc C old W ar, therc was a
rise in regional coopcration in m any places in
the w orld such as the expansion o f the
European Union, the dcvelopm ent o f rcgional
cooperation in N orth A m erica and Africa So
vvhat w a s t h e c h a n g e ( s ) in In te rn a tio n a l s y s tc m
at the end o f thc 20lh C entury and in the
bcginning o f the 2151 C cntury that ìnílucnced
on East A sian regionalism ? In term o f sccurity,
the collapse o f the Soviet Union and the cnd o f
the C old W ar w ere m ajor íactors prom oting
regional cooperation in East A sia T he end o f
the C old W ar madc thc U nited States become the superpovver in thc w orld and the bipolar
w orld ordcr replaccd by thc unipolar order
foundations o f thc prcexisting regional order
a n d t h c í o r e i g n p o l i c i e s o f e v c r y S ta te in E a s t
A sia" [4| D uring the C old W ar, regional strategic com pctition was driven by the struggle betw een the U nited States and thc Soviet U nion, rcgional division and security concem s w ere clcarly visible to every country
in the region Econom ically, East Asia was greatly challcngcd by m ajor changes in intcm ational trade ordcr T hcre w as a change
in global tradc principle o f non-discrim ination
R egional coopcration in m any com ers o f the
w orld has favored its rcgional m em bcrs in
countries had to com pete vvith their rivalries from W estem Europe and N orth America who have inany advantagcs from their regional cooperation A t the samc tim e, therc werc also transitions insidc East A sian countries that led
to transitions in regional order at the end o f 20* C entury In thc cnd o f the Cold W ar, Japan becam e an cconom ic pow er that surpassed
m any W estem co u n tn cs and becam e a com petitor o f the U nited States in the world
m arkct Sim ilarly, C hina recorded many great achievem ents in its opcn-door policy The econom ic grow th helpcd both Japan and China
to increase thcir m ilitary expenses Russia, though not as strong as thc Sovict U nion, vvas still able to iníluence on the rcgion and was the param ctcr in policies o f regional countries In addition, othcr regional countrics such as
K orea, T hailand and Indonesia bccam e more and m ore im portant voices in ihe region All o f these changes have iníluenced on East Asian regional ordcr and sccurity and on regional countries’ policies tow ards their ovvn national interests In fact, thcrc was a trcnd in regional countrics’ policics that cncouragcd regional
Trang 320 p.v M in / V N U Ịournaỉ o f Science, Soãal Sàences and Humanities 25, No 5F (2(H)9) 18-23
V ietnam bccam c morc active in regional
cooperation to becom c the 7lh m em bcr o f
E conom ic C oopcration (A PE C ) or prom otcd
its relationship with rcgional countries In a
n u t s h e l l , the transitions i n I n t e r n a t i o n a l system
w hich w ere exem pliíicd by thc collapse o f the
Soviet U nion, th c cnd o f thc C old W ar and o f
the bipolar w orld ordcr strongly cncouraged
East A sian rcgional coopcration In other
w ords, I n t e r n a t i o n a l structure played an in
im portant rolc in East A sian regionalism as
N co-rcalists arguc
A nother argum cnt o f N co-realism is that
challenges o r thrcats w hich one sm gle country
can nol dcal w ith, and thcrc is no signilìcant
diffcrcncc bctw ccn rcgional coopcration in
econom ics o r p olitics [4, p.340] In facc with
extcm al challcnges o r thrcats, states are
inclined to cooperatc w ith othcrs even though
it will producc intcrdcpcndencc am ong them
N eo-realists add that th e more extem al
challcngcs or thrcats, th e m orc states coopcrate
[5, p.325) N co-rcalists can trace histor.cal
evidcncc to support thcir argum cnts For
ìnstancc, ih c ìnccption o f rcgional coopcration
in VVcstcm r-urope in thc hcginning o f the
C o ld W ar w as considcrcd as a response to the
threat from thc Soviet U nion o r the G u lf
response to th e thrcat from Iran In the case o f
East A sia, rcgional coopcration em crged in the
context o f thc rcsurgcncc o f regionalism in
m any p laccs in Ihc \vorld E uropean Union was
expanded by adm itting ncw m em bcrs from
integratcd rcgion in the world At the same
establishm cnt o f thc N orth Am erican Free
T radc A rca (N A IT A ) In A írica, U nited
A lrican O rg an i/atio n w as upgraded to becom e
A írican U nion which took E uropean U nion as
a m odel for its developm ent T h e rcsu rg cn ce of rcgionalism m adc E ast A sian co u ntries avvare
o f challenges in com pctition vvith o th cr regions
in the w orld O thcr challcngcs w cre revcalcd in thc ncg o tiatiơ n s o f W TO U ruguay and Doha rounds Im tially, M alaysia proposcd to sct up East A sian Econom ic G roup as a “pressurc group w ithin thc U ruguay R ound" and a voice
o f its m em b crs’ intcrcsts (G ricco 1997: 168) East A sian countrics had to raise th cir one voice to protcct thcir national m terests with regard to agricultural subsidics in the Doha
n egotiations pressed E ast A sian countries to set up a regional inslitulion that can raise a
negotiations Such an institution vvill be a com m on voicc for th e w holc rcgion and increase its position in intem ational agenda [7, p.56) A nothcr cxam plc o f cxtcrnal challcnges
w as A sian cconom ic crisis in 1997 T he crisis has not only rcvealcd the Nvcakness o f Asia- Pacific lỉconom ic C oopcration (A PE C ) and
A SE A N but also shovved prcssurcs from
In te r n a t io n a l m onc»a»7 institutions s u c h a s the
International M onetary I:und (1MF), the World
B ank (W B ) and \V cstem govcm m ents Stubbs [8, p 48) providcs that “th e International
M onetary F und (IM F), in conjunction w ith the U.S governm ent initially m isdiagnosed the problcm [o f A sian cconom ic crisis] and chose
to im posc a sct o f solulions that only served to exacerbate thc situation" T his has brought East A sian countrics clo scr togcther It is a
m atter o f fact that rcgionalism in East Asia
em erged in th e contcxt o f thosc changes in the
w orld; th crclo rc, it is considered as a “reactive regionalism " All o f aibrem cntioned changes
in intem ational systcm at thc cnd o f 20lh
C entury and the bcginning o f the 2151 Ccntury have served as convincing cvidence for
Trang 4Nco-p V M in / VNU Ịournaì o f Science, Socinl Sciences and Humanities 25, No 5E (2(X)9) ĩ 8-23 21
realist argument thai East A sian rcgionalism
was a response to cxtcm al challenges and
threats
Thirdly, N eo-rcalism holds that sm aller
states will seek a rcgional arrangem ent w ith
the strong in thc hope that rcgional institutions
svill cnable them to conslrain it from freedom
DÍ' action [9, p.169) T h e crcation o f European
Comm unity in thc cffort to restrict G crm any
served as historical evidencc for this N eo-
realist vievvpoint As H w ec p o in ts out, “ the
sm aller ASEAN states havc com c to rccognize
the potcntial o f using rcgionalism as a m eans
to constrain the potcntially disruptive cffccts o f
unequal pov/er” [10, p.6) In com parison, each
ASEAN State is sm allcr than any o f three
Northeast Asian countries o f C hina, Japan and
Korea Among thosc, China h as thc m ost
potential eỉĩects even though som c m ay arguc
!hat it is Japan, not C hina [11] C h in a was ihc
dialogue partncr o f A SEAN in 1991 In the
ĩarly 1990s, ASEỈAN prom otcd its rclationship
iVith C hina by sctting up tìvc dialogues in
Dolitics, Science, tcchnology, cco n o m ics and
rade C hina parlicipatcd in A R F and A S E M in
1994 and 1996 respcctively, and it also
)articipatcd in thc M ckong R iv er Basin
ro g eth cr with Japan and K orca, C h in a jo in ed
n ASEAN + 3 in 1997 In som c certain extern,
\S E A N succccdcd in cngaging C hina into
egional c o o p c r a t i o n and institutions For
ĩxample, China signcđ thc Z one o f Peace,
Z O P FA N ) in 2001, thc Trcaty o f A m ity and
Tooperation (T A C ) in 2003 A S E A N was
ictive in vvorking w ith C hina to set up
VSEAN-China E xpcrl G roup o n Econom ic
"ooperation (A C E G E C ) in preparation for
VSEAN efforts show that it is n o t a
oincidence that A SE A N strcngthcned their
elationship w ith C hina while C hina becom es
stronger In fact, A SEAN w as succcssful in constraining C hina One cxam ple vvas the incident o f M isch icf Rccf, in w hich the
expressed that “ ASEAN had spoken vvith voice and C hincsc sidc vvas undoubtedly taken aback by ASEANTs reactions” ([12, p 112]
A SE A N succeeded in tum ing bilateral disputes into m ultilateral oncs and reducing the assertiveness o f C hina [13] In addition,
A S E A N alw ays trics to m aintain its position as
a d n v in g forcc in any regional institutions for its o w n intcrcsts A nd because o f this, m any
A SE A N ized [14] It is o f coursc that C hina has its o w n interests in rclationship w ith ASEAN but abovc analysis show s that A SE A N has prom otcd its cooperation vvith C hina in the effort to constrain it from ữ eed o m o f action
Up to this point, N co-rcalism is dcfinitely right
to argue that sm aller states scck cooperation
w ith the strong in order to constrain it from
institutions
Last but not lcast, N co-rcalism sharcs the assum ption o f thc T heory o f H cgcm onic Stability w hich argucs that the hegem on takes
an im portant rolc in regional cooperation To support their argum cnts, N co-rcalists adduce
th e ro le o f Britain in thc m id o f the 19^
C entu ry in prom oting intcm ational trade and that o f the U.S with its M arshall Plan in
b eginning o f the C old W ar T he cnd o f the
C old W ar and thc collapsc o f thc Soviet U nion
m ade the u s a supcrpow er in intem ational system Hovvcvcr, thc rolc and iníluence o f the
u s in East A sian regionalism w as different from that o f the u.s in W cstem European regionalism afìcr th e second W orld War
A ccording to B ecson [15], “ A m erican pow er has also becn im portant in East A sia, too, but East A sian regionalism has m ove ahead
Trang 522 p.v M in / VNU Ịoum al o f Science Sociaì Sciences and Hunumities 25, No 5E (2009) 18-23
despite, rathcr than bccause of, Am erican
efforts” The u s launchcd thc M arshall Plan
to support W estem Iỉuropcan regionalism but
it disfavorcd all initialives and efforts to
prom otc Easl Asian regionalism Firstly, therc
was no indication o f the U.S objection to the
initiative o f thc íorm er M alaysian Primc
M inister, Dr M ahathir M oham ad, to set up
East Asian lìconom ic G roup (E A E G ) but
Japan rcíuscd participation out o f its loyalty to
the U.S T his adđcd to make EA EG untruc For
the U.S., if Ít could bc rcalizcd, EA EG w ould
rcduce thc inílucnce o f the U S in thc region
[7, p.59) Although somc East A sian countnes
proposed East Asian Econom ic C aucus ìnstead
o f EAEG, onc institution for East Asian
regional coopcration w as íìnally a stillbom
ìdea Secondly, the U.S objected Jap a n ’s
proposal to establish Asian M onetary Fund
(AM F - financcd and m anaged by East Asian
countries indepcndently from thc 1MF) to help
East Asian countrics in thc A sian cconomic
crisis in 1997 T h is vvas because the U.S
ìnstitutions such as the IMF and the W orld
Bank in w hich thc ư.s plays a dom inant role
[16, p.108) T hirdly, thc U.S disfavorcd the
inception o f ASIÌAN + 3 w hich was designed
to prom ote East A sian regionalism In thc eyes
o f the U.S., A SEAN + 3 will not only
underm inc or thrcat the system o f the u s
bilatcral relations w ith rcgional allics but also
m ay crcate an anti-A m erican bloc both
ASEAN + 3 can vvork as a tool for C hina to
place its inílucncc in Iỉast A sia T he U.S had
taken its bilateral rclations w ith rcgional allies
to make thcni rcluctant to any proposal or
initiative to prom ote East A sian regionalism
For its ow n interests, the U S m aintaincd its
negative attitudcs tovvards and prevented East
Asian regionalism In spite o f thc u s
regionalism still cvolvcd, m oved íorvvard an<
Ironically, somc rcscarchcs have shovvn that i
is thc u.s disíavors and objcctions, especialb
in 1997 Asian econom ic crisis, that promotct East Asian regionalism [17]
T h e analysis o f th c U.S role and influenc<
on East Asian rcgionalism show s that Nco rcalist argum cnt o f thc hcgem on is relevant t( rcgional coopcration T h e u.s objection tc EAEG, to the J a p a n 's proposal o f Asiar
M onctary Fund and its d isfav o r o f A SEA N + :
havc greatly im pacted East A sian regionalism
T he U.S im pact w as in such a grcat extern tha somc say that East A sian rcgionalism can no
bc undcrstood vvithout rcfcỉTÌng to the u s [18 p.257) H ow ever, it is critical to point out tha
devclopm ent o f regional coopcration in boứ
W cslcrn Europc and East Asia but it dic happcn in diffcrent w ay in E ast A sia, vvhich is
a convcrse w ith N eo-reahst standpoint
In a nutshell, N eo-rcalism has providcc
coopcration Some ot’ thcse cxplanations havc hccn tesỉed in thc casc study o f East Asiar regionalism T he cnd o f thc C old War, thc brcak-up o f the Sovict Union, the replaccmcni
o f th c b ip o l a r I n t e r n a ti o n a l o r d c r b y thc unipolar and m tcr-rcgional com petition werc
rcgionalism In addition, East A sian countries had to face vvith m any cxternal challenges anc thrcals T he expansion o f thc liuropcan Union thc birth o f A frican Union, the u s attempi tow ards N orlh A m erican Frce T rade Area anc thc pressurcs from W T O negotiations wer<
m ajor challcnges that urged East Asian states
to spcak onc voice for the whole region Apan from factors o f the intem ational structurc ASEAN sm allcr states w cre active in anc
m am tained its driving force in cooperatior
Trang 6p.v M in / V N U Ịoumaỉ o f Science, Sociaỉ Sciences and Humanities 25, No 5E (2()í)9) 18-23 23
w ith bigger regional countries, cspccially
C hina, in the hope that rcgional institutions
vvill cnable them to constrain it from freedom
o f action T h cse efforts o f A SEA N are
definitcly in linc vvith N eo-realist argument
regionahsm vvas not com pletely relevant to
their point o f vicvv but N eo-realists wcre right
to em phasize the rolc and im pact o f the U.S in
regional coopcration
Applying one single theory to study
regionalism alw ays leads to a one-sided
ìntcrpretation As a m atter o f fact, East Asian
rcgionalism h as been affected in various
dcgrees by m any extem al and intcrnal factors
There have bccn stuđies that show the role o f
othcr íactors on East Asian rcgionalism such as
regional h istory, culture, society, oversea
C hinese b u sin css nct\vork or Japancsc private
coopcratcs [14] How cver, applying Neo-
realism to East A sian regionalism , on the one
hand, has help ed to test its relevancc to onc
p h e n o m c n o n in I n t e r n a t i o n a l p o l i t i c s a n d to
understand it bcttcr On the other hand, this
also invites explanations from o th er theorics
for East A sian regionalism
R cícrcnccs
[1 ] B c rg s tc n , F , T o w a rd s a T rip a rtite VVorld, The
Ecotiomist 15 ,h J u ly 2 0 0 0 , W ashington 200 0
[2 ] N y e , J s , R e vicvv : N co re a lism and
N c o lib c ra h s m , Worl(i P olitics, V o l.4 l, N o 2
(1 9 8 8 )2 3 5 - 2 5 1
[3 ] H u rre ll, A , E x p la in in g th c R csu rg cn ce o f
R c g io n a lis m in VVorỉd P o litic s , Review o f
International Síudiesf V o l 2 1 (1 9 9 5 (3 3 1 -3 5 8
[4 ] R o s s , R , l£ast A s ia in T ra n s itio n : T o w a rd ạ
N c w R c g io n a l O rd cr M E S h a rp c , In c Ncvv
Y o r k , 1995
[5 ] W c b c r, K f H ic ra rc h y am idst A n a rc h y : A
T ra n s a c tio n C o sts A p p ro ach to International
S e c u n ty C o o p c ra tio n International Studies Quarterỉy, V o ỉ.4 1 , N o 2 (1 9 9 7 ) 321-340.
[6] G n e c o , M J., S y ste m ic S o u rces o f V ariation in
R cg io n al In stitu tio n ali/atio n in W estcm
E u ro p c, E ast A sia an d th c A m en cas, in The
P oỉỉticaỉ Econom y o f Regìonalism (M an síicld
E and M iln e r H c d s ) C o lu m b ia U n iv c rs ity Press, N c w Y o r k , 1997.
[7] N am , H K , A S E A N + 3 M ultilatcral
C o o p cratio n: Issuos and Pro sp ccts V ictnam
N ational U n iv c rs ity - H o C h i M inh C it y Press (H ợ p tác đ a p h ư ơ n g A S E A N + 3: v ấ n đc vả triển v ọ n g N X B Đ H Q G TPHCiM ), 2008.
[8] S tu b b s, R., A S E A N P ỉus T h rcc: E m crg in g East
A sian R cg io n alism ? Asian Survey, V ol.42,
N o 3 (2 0 0 2 ) 4 40 -4 55 [9] R avcnhill, J., A T h rcc B loc W orld? T h e N cw East A sian R cg io n alism International Relaíions o f the A sia-P acự ĩc, V oỉ.2(2002)167- 195.
[10] Hvvcc, Y L , R calism an d R eactive
R e g io n alism : VVhcrc is E a st A s in R eg ion aỉism
H cad in g ? U N ỈSC I Discussion Papers,
S in g ap o re In stitu lc o f International A ffairs,
2 0 0 5 , 1-14.
[11] R oy, D t H eg em o n o n th c h o ri/o n ? C hina's
th rc a t to E ast A sian sccu rily , International Security, V o l.1 9 , N o l(1 9 9 4 ) 149-168.
[12] S torey, I J., C rc c p in g A sse rtiv cn css: C hina, thc
P h ilip p in c s and th c South C h in a S c a D isputc
Jo u rn a l o f International & Sírategic Affairs,
V o l.2 1 , N o 1 (1 9 9 9 ) 95-118.
[13] S in g h , u B , M ajo r P ow crs and th c S ccu rity o f
Southcast Asia, Strategic Anaìysis, Vol.xxiv,
N o 2 , (2 0 0 0 ).
[14] L iu, F K a n d R ég n icr, p , Regionalism in Easí
A sia: P aradigm shự iing? R o u tlcd g c C u r/o n ,
N c w Y o r k , 2003 [15] B ecso n , M , R cth in k in g R cgionalism : Europc and East A s ia in C o m p arativc H isto n cal
P erspectivc, J o u m a ỉ o f European Public
P olicy, V o l.1 2 , N o 6 (2 0 0 5 ) 969-985.
[16] Y ip , w K , P ro sp c c ts fo r C lo sc r E conom ic
In teg ratio n in E ast A sia, Stanford Journaỉ o f
E ast Asian A ffa irs%1 (S p rin g ) (2 0 0 1 ) 106-111 [17] H iggott, R , 'r h e A sian E co n o m ic C risis: A
S tu d y in th c P o litics o f R cscn tm en t, N eu
P oỉitical Econom y, V o l.3 , N o 3 (1 9 9 8 ) 333-356 [ 18) B ecso n , M , A S E A N P lus T h rcc an d thc Risc o f
R eactio n ary R cg io n alism C ontem porary Southeast A sia y V o l.2 5 , N o 2 (2 0 0 3 ) 251-268.