E-catalog        

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : triangularity, the new face of East Asia -- Part I. The legacy of the Cold War -- China, Russia, the US : the new face of the grand strategic triangle -- China, Russia, North Korea : the shadow of the socialist bloc -- China, North Korea, the US : the shadow of the Cold War -- Part II. South Korea as the pivot of transformation -- South Korea, China, the US : the pivot of regional transformation -- South Korea, China, Japan : the renewed core regional triangle -- South Korea, Japan, the US : the new face of the alliance triangle -- Part III. New tests for the Japan-US alliance -- Japan, China, the US : the core great power triangle -- Japan, Russia, the US : the test for boundary crossing -- Japan, Australia, India, the US : the quad-an exception -- Conclusion : how do the triangles fit together?

"Rozman shows how East Asia's international relations can be best understood through the lens of triangles, analyzing relations between the key nations through a series of trilateral relationships. He argues that triangles present a convincing answer to the question of whether we are entering a new era of bipolarity like the Cold War, or an age of multipolarity. Triangulation emerged as a dynamic in East Asia in the aftermath of the Cold War, but has been accelerated in the wake of the Xi and Trump administrations. Even as Sino-US competition and confrontation deepens, triangles have a substantial presence. East Asian triangles share an unusual mixture of three distinct elements: deep-seated security distrust; extraordinary economic interdependence; and a combustible composition of historical resentments and civilizational confidence. The combination of the three makes the case for triangularity more compelling, Rozman argues. The legacy of communism, the pursuit of reunification on the Korean Peninsula, and moves to expand beyond the US-Japan alliance have all driven the way triangles have evolved. Rozman evaluates each key triangle of states in turn and assesses how the relationship impacts the region more widely. An essential framework for understanding the current state and trajectory of East Asian International relations, for students and policy-makers"-- Provided by publisher.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

Gilbert Rozman is the Emeritus Musgrave Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, USA-where he taught for 43 years. He is the editor-in-chief of The Asan Forum, a bi-monthly online journal on international relations in the Indo-Pacific region. His research over the years has concentrated on countries in Northeast Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States, and their relations to each other. He has relied heavily on primary sources from these countries. Among other frameworks, he has explored how national identities shape bilateral relations, developing an interdisciplinary social science approach outside the mainstream.

Open Access EbpS