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China and India’s energy diplomacy has been proactive and reactive. Both countries have taken various measures – political, economic, military and diplomatic – to foster close ties with all energy rich countries across the world, including those so called “pariah states” such as Iran, Sudan, and Myanmar. However, both countries have had to alter their proactive policy measures toward those countries out of external pressures from both state and non-state actors. China and India’s energy diplomacy toward Iran, Sudan and Myanmar are three typical cases in point. Two-level pressures have shaped China and India’s proactive and reactive energy diplomacy. At the domestic level, both countries have tried to maximize their wealth by helping their national oil companies (NOCs) to go out to maximize their commercial profits, which benefits both governments’ revenues and enhances employment. At the international level, both countries have been seeking great power status so they have become sensitive to social opprobrium on their close ties with those “pariah states.” Moreover, China and India have been asymmetrically dependent on the United States and its allies especially Saudi Arabia for energy security and India has heavily depended on Israel for imports of advanced weapons to modernize its military forces.
The book explores the proactive and reactive features of China and India's domestic and foreign policies to address two intertwined challenges: first, China and India have taken policy measures that accord with their own domestic priorities; second, both countries have had to alter the trajectory of their proactive policy measures as a result of external pressures. The book argues that China and India's proactive and reactive policy measures to address energy insecurity and climate change have been shaped by their two-level pressures. At the domestic/unit level, both countries have had to sustain fast economic growth and eradicate poverty in order to maximize their economic wealth. At the international/systemic level, both countries have sought to enhance their great power status in the international system which is characterized by not only asymmetrical interdependence but also global governance in general, and global energy and climate governance in particular.
The South Korea–United States alliance has evolved from one focused solely on the security of South Korea to a partnership that encompasses a broad array of issues of mutual concern. Described in the 2013 Joint Vision Statement, the Alliance seeks to cooperate on issues such as climate change, piracy, trafficking, and WMD proliferation. However, several hurdles remain, including possible disagreement over a common policy on dealing with North Korea, defense burden sharing, latent anti-Americanism, the KORUS FTA, and the friction associated with South Korea begin caught in the middle of China–United States relations. The alliance remains on relatively solid ground, but maintaining the relationship will require regular attention and dialogue. Serious challenges loom on the horizon that will test leaders in both countries, and working together in a collaborative relationship will be essential to successfully navigate the rough waters that lay ahead. This chapter reviews the future of the alliance and makes some concluding remarks about the evolving nature of the alliance.
After the Korean War, South Korea was decimated and a large share of its defense was provided by the United States and the alliance. The United States deployed over 60,000 troops in South Korea, including two combat divisions positioned close to the DMZ and along the likely invasion routes from the north. Washington also deployed tactical nuclear weapons to the peninsula and supplied extensive amounts of military and economic aid to ensure South Korea’s security. As the years passed, South Korea slowly assumed a greater share of its defense responsibilities, in large part due to the growth of its economy and the increasing capability of its military. Thus, the alliance has evolved from a patron–client relationship to one that resembles more of a partnership. This chapter charts the evolution of the military elements of the alliance.
In 1987, South Korea made the transition to democracy after years of authoritarian rule. The democratic transition was crucial not only for South Korea’s political development but also for the South Korea–United States alliance. Democratization removed an obstacle to closer political ties since Seoul and Washington now had similar political systems and values that allowed further growth as a partnership that went beyond security interests. However, democratization also brought elections and new elites to power who sometimes had different policy positions than Washington on South Korea–United States relations, North Korea, and other issues that affected the alliance. This chapter examines South Korea’s road to democracy, the role Washington played in this journey, and the impact ROK democratization has had on the alliance.
The South Korea–United States alliance began as a security arrangement, but over the years has grown to be an important economic relationship. In the 1950s, South Korea was a poor country, but by the 1960s the ROK economy was on its way to becoming the “Miracle on the Han River.” Over the years, trade ties have grown significantly along with foreign direct investment. An important element of economic ties is the KORUS FTA that went into effect in 2012. South Korea has increased its trade in goods while the United States has seen an increase in ROK investment and the provision of services. However, the Trump administration has been unhappy with the growing trade deficit and has called for a renegotiation of the FTA. This chapter examines the economic elements of the relationship as an important indicator of the evolution of the alliance.
Chapter 1 begins by briefly setting the context of the South Korea–United States alliance and reviewing its history. The alliance began as a product of the Cold War that over the years evolved from an asymmetric, patron–client relationship to one that resembles a partnership. Grounded in alliance theory, this book is a study of how the alliance has changed over time and the factors that have contributed to that evolution. Few studies have examined how alliances change and adapt as a result of endogenous factors, particularly how the power relations spurred by the economic growth and political development of junior partners have affected the alliance. In South Korea’s case, democratization, economic growth, and a desire to be a more active player in international relations have played an important role in alliance transformation.
The most common reason for forming an alliance is a common security threat among the alliance partners. In the early years of the South Korea–United States alliance, the chief concern was the threat of communist expansion through the joint action of Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang. As the years passed, it became clear that the Soviet Union and China were not interested in starting another war in Korea. With the end of the Cold War, both former enemies established normal diplomatic relations with South Korea, much to the dismay of North Korea. Threat assessments focused solely on North Korea, but by the 2000s these assessments began to diverge among leaders in Seoul and Washington, leading to serious friction within the alliance. This chapter examines the security concerns that underlie the alliance and how the assessment of these concerns has evolved over time.
Korea–United States relations began formally in the late 1880s, but in these early years were modest. Washington was largely a bystander as Korea was embroiled in the competition between China, Japan, and Russia. Korea hoped that relations with the United States might help protect it from this regional struggle for power. In the end, Korea was just not that important to the United States. After World War II, Korea reemerged from Japanese occupation but was soon divided by Washington and Moscow. As the Cold War played out, the country remained separated into two hostile regimes. North Korea attempted to reunite the peninsula by force and nearly succeeded. However, after three years of war, the fighting ended with an armistice, locking in the divisions of North and South. After the war, the United States and South Korea signed the Mutual Defense Treaty and established a formal alliance that has lasted for over six decades. This chapter describes the early history of the relationship between the two countries.
In contrast to previous studies of the South Korea-United States alliance, Uk Heo and Terence Roehrig analyze the bigger picture, including the history, economics, security, alliance structure, politics, and the future of the alliance. Taking alliance theory as a starting point, the authors argue that the alliance provides an ideal case study to examine how the political development and economic growth of junior partners impact an alliance. As South Korea's capabilities and ambitions have grown, the alliance has evolved from an asymmetric regional security relationship to an economic partnership with global interests, while China's rise and North Korea's nuclear development mean that South Korea remains of strategic importance for American interests in East Asia. This book will be read both as a major contribution to Korean studies and the study of alliance politics and theory.