The overwhelming turmoil present in today’s Middle East has altogether drawn American attention away from its more developed, albeit more quiet opponents. Although the political waters of the Far East are currently placid, the foreign policies of both China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea present a startling threat to the modern balance of international power. While China and the DPRK are remarkably different, it is the possible unity between the two that could, if properly fostered, make Asia a sphere of the globe inhospitable to the American identity. The two nations pose very different threats to the US. China’s threat is primarily an economic one. The IMF predicts that China’s GDP will overtake that of the US as soon as …show more content…
DPRK (NORTH KOREA)
North Korea’s success has thus far been in its ability to lie to its people. The nation’s rudimentary military technology, although usually real, has been grossly over-exaggerated with the use of photoshopped material (“How North Korea...”). The public unveiling of several purported “nuclear weapons” via the North Korean News Agency, KCNA, has led to a rapid rise in national fervor for the military (Witty). Although mostly fake, the rapid spread of such propagandized material around North Korea has led to increased public confidence in the government, The propagandist model has succeeded in making up for North Korea’s lack in technological advancements with high conscription rates. If America were to turn to war with the North Koreans, ground troops under Kim Jong Un’s propagandized leadership could be as reckless as those of the Japanese kamikaze that fought almost a century ago. Although the DPRK poses a significant future threat to US security, it has also proven illegitimacy in its committal of countless human rights violations. Last year, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry reported multiple instances of state-sponsored murder, torture, and enslavement. (“North Korean Defectors”). These recent human rights abuses are part of a long-standing history of governmental disregard for human life at the North Korean gulags, or
North Korea, formally known as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a relic of the Cold War and the world’s last remaining totalitarian Stalinist dictatorship. Arguably the most secretive state in the world, North Korea poses a unique set of challenges to the world, especially to its democratic and capitalist neighbor, South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea (ROK). As one of the last remnants of the Cold War era, North Korea remains an anomaly of the international system due to its unpredictable nature and disregard for international norms. With the recent bombardment of the South Korean Island of Yeongpyong and the sinking of the warship Cheonan, tensions between the two Koreas are at the lowest point since
In 2001 journalist, Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Six Ordinary Lives in North Korea, moved to Seoul, South Korea as a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, where she was to report over both North and South Korea. When she was in North Korea, Demick found it was immensely difficult to report anything as their trip was very closely monitored. They were assigned “minders” who would make sure that: no unauthorized conversations took place, that they visit specific monuments, and allowed no contact with ordinary citizens. While in South Korea, Demick began speaking with North Koreans who had defected and escaped to South Korea and China. As she spoke with the people who had defected, Demick uncovered what lied beneath the façade
Realism is one of the most dominant international relations theories in the academic world. But within Realism, Realists are split on a number of issues. A perfect example of which being the rise of China. Over the past 30 years China has increased not only in population and power, but has also achieved one of the strongest economies in the world. The rise of China is seen as problematic by many realists. Since the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, the US has enjoyed a position of hegemony in the unipolar power structure of the world. Many fear that the rise of China could upset the current balance of power. One such individual is a prominent realist scholar, John Mearsheimer. He believes that war with China is inevitable and “calls for the US to do whatever it can to slow China’s rise.” Another political theorist Jonathan Kirshner wrote this paper to counter many of Mearsheimer’s claims, stating that Mearsheimer’s offensive realism “is wrong, and dangerous”. Kirshner suggests that instead of using offensive realism we should look instead to the theories roots in classical realism to analyse the rise of China.
There is no disbelief that the United States has had historical conflicts with North Korea’s dictatorial leaders. Currently there have been passing threats from North Korea’s dictatorial leader Kim Jung Un to US president Donald Trump. Using current international approaches to the North Korean nuclear problem-solutions are based on the logic of crime and punishment. “According to this approach, North Korea’s crimes – possession of nuclear weapons and violation of UN resolutions – must be punished through forceful, comprehensive sanctions. Such sanctions, the thinking goes, will cause so much discomfort in the North that the regime will be at risk of collapse and Kim Jung Un will be compelled to choose denuclearization (Moon, 2016, pg. 343).” Policy makers ideally want to ensure that foreign policy is perfected to the best of their knowledge and that national security is performing to the best of their ability. “America’s main motive has always been denuclearization in line with its nonproliferation policy, especially after post 9/11 security concerns (Petrželová, 2017, pg. 10).” To avoid similar events to 9/11 posed by North Korea, policy makers should allow counterterrorism tactics to be executed as thoroughly as possible. The protection and safety of US citizens should always be a top priority for government agencies and policy makers. Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s
The American military conducted countless humanitarian missions and forceful interventions across the world. But as developing countries rise, the international environment quickly approaches a more multipolar balance of power. Given this trend, some argue that America’s broad and arguably invasive security policy is unsustainable, and that military spending and foreign military operations need to be scaled-back. Others argue that the United States has a unique and important place in the world and must take measures to retain its leadership position, even at the cost of developing nations. Today, analysts of United States security policy debate an important question. Should the United States revert back to a one-dimensional security agenda with one clear objective? Moreover, should the United States direct its attention and energy towards China, its most formidable
This quote highlights the essential cooperative relationship between the U.S. and China through both the regional and global scales. With China as the economic powerhouse in the global economy and the U.S. as the world’s policeman, it is clear that both countries hold major powers in the world and their cooperation is important in addressing the global challenges. However, the relationship between U.S. and China is becoming increasingly complex and competitive. The two countries share a lot of common interest in achieving peace and stability around the world, but they often disagree on the process of attaining those goals due to the different perspectives. It’s also important to point out that these two countries are more cooperative outside
Back in Washington, President Clinton’s administration concluded that North Korea was reviving their nuclear missile program and demanded access to the suspected facilities being built. Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, granted access to multiple locations to U.S. officials for inspection of facilities in exchange for financial aid and food (Hathaway & Tama 724). North Korea’s negotiation for aid from the U.S. does not come as a surprise for the simple fact that citizens living under the supreme leadership of Kim Jong-un live in absolute poverty. Although the state-run government experiences hardship by trying to provide an adequate supply of food for citizens; the government spends a huge sum of money to maintain a large military force.
North Korea’s threats have taken a toll on not only the United States but countries around the world. Nuclear accessibility has caused them to take their threats to a whole new level which has the potential to annihilate the democratic world we live in today. Just this year, “North Korea threatened a nuclear strike on “the heart of the US” if it attempts to remove Kim Jong Un as Supreme Leader” (North Korea). North Korea is not the only threat we face either. Countries across the globe have access to nuclear weapons which can be launched at any given time. In 1987, during the prime of the Cold War, “The USSR alone controlled 40,000 nuclear warheads” (32, Katherine). Luckily today, through treaties passed by international governmental organizations
North Korea appears on the international stage as a country existing beyond the world we all know. It isolates its citizens from the rest of international community and does not obey any rules determined by international law, but requires respect and recognition. Moreover, North Korea is one of the countries that remains aggressive towards its neighbors and applies various terrorist techniques, i.e. illegal contraband, political terror and mass abductions of other countries’ citizens in its foreign policy. The reasons for which the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) behaves so unpredictably and irrationally are diversified. First of all, the DPRK as a country is managed very irrationally – regimes of Kim Il-sung and
China’s emergence as a global power has coincided with a somewhat heavy-handed foreign policy towards its neighbors. Internal disputes have included a political crisis in Hong Kong over the right to vote, minority oppression in Inner Mongolia, and unhealthy air quality. China’s rise has changed the Asian power dynamic. Chinese foreign policy towards North Korea, protective in nature, has drawn criticism. Worried about instability in Korea driving untrained refugees into China, its leadership opposes any transformative actions in the region. China’s policy towards Japan increasingly features hostile rhetoric, as the two countries struggle for influence in the region. China’s rising position as a world power is most visible in the South
1900s China saw a century of fluctuating development and progress, which is recognised through various political, economic and social changes. The early division of the period encountered some change for the country yet this was not as significant as the latter change in which China’s political landscape metamorphosed into one of total contrast to the former. Foreign intervention was of course a reason and usually the root cause for the changes that occurred, particularly in the first half of the century until 1962 whereby there were still some minor influences by the foreigners but other factors seemed to have caused these later changes. It could be deduced that yes, foreign powers did have a significant influence over the transformation
The events that have taken place over the past couple of centuries, and more so the past decade, have monumentally impacted the relationship between the United States and China for better and for worse. Today, China and the U.S. have evolved into two of the most elite superpowers in the world, and they classify as some of the most prominent leaders in economics, military, technology, and universal innovation. Currently, the United States is just weeks away from electing their next president, cyber-attacks are being investigated exponentially, and the South China Sea Debate continues to be disputed. The outcomes of all these events will undoubtedly affect the relationship between China and the United States for the next 10 years.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has become more integrated and willing to cooperate within the global political and economic systems than ever in its history. However, there is growing apprehension in the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S. in regards to the consequences of rising in economic and military power in China. Descriptions about Chinese diplomacy in the policy and scholarly are less positive lately concerning China’s obedience to regional and international rules. There was little debate in the U.S. and elsewhere in regards to whether China was or was not part “the international community.” Scholars and experts in the early 1990s have contended
Snyder claims that realism failed to predict the Cold War. Given this, Mearsheimer states “China cannot rise peacefully.” Since realists describe the world as a self-help system, according to Posen, every country “must look to its own interests relative to those of others” and because “security is the preeminent issue in an anarchic world, the distribution of capabilities to attack and defend should matter.” Thus, because China’s strive for regional hegemony inevitably threatens the power dynamic of the global system, the U.S. will, according to Mearsheimer, take an offensive realist approach that will eventually lead to war. In addition, as seen in post-Cold War, economic stability greatly determines the distribution of power. Friedberg notes, that the projected “speed and magnitude of China’s growth in recent decades appears to be unprecedented” and as early as 2015, “China’s economy could overtake that of the United States.” Although the U.S. faces an unprecedented challenge to economic power, according to Ikenberry, China has signaled cooperation by “redoubling its participation in existing institutions, such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit or working with the other great powers in the region to build new ones.” Nevertheless, following the actions of the U.S. post WWII, China strategically makes “itself more predictable and approachable” to reduce “the incentives for other
In the 21st century, the rise of china has become the most remarkable event in the international relations. China is one of the fastest growing economy in the world. Many researchers used factionalism as a means to define Chinese foreign policy because of the conflict among the top leaders during the revolutionary period. Chinese foreign policy has become more pragmatic and sophisticated. By joining the World Trade Organization, the country increased its participation in the global economy (Hao, Y., & Hou, Y, 2009).My research topic is on the Chinese foreign policy towards North East Asian countries. This paper concentrates on the Chinese foreign relations with North East Asian countries like Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Russia (Zhao, Q, 1997)