P-ISSN: 0258-9184

E-ISSN: 2288-2871

Published Quarterly

Manuscript Submission Guidelines

ASIAN PERSPECTIVE

Current Issue

Vol. 49, No. 1 WINTER 2025

Special Issue on Great Power Competition in the Indo-Pacific and Eurasia – Part 1
Guest Editor: Brian C. H. Fong

Great Power Competition Across States and Quasi-States:
Toward a Comparative Typology
Brian C. H. Fong

Great Power Competition in Small States:
The Case of Singapore
Chong Ja Ian

Great Power Competition in Associated States:
The Cases of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau
Denghua Zhang

Great Power Competition in Contested States:
The Case of Taiwan
Wu Jieh-min

Great Power Competition in Territorial Autonomies:
The Case Study of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
Grace C. Donaldson and Kevin K. W. Ho

Environmental Norms and Japan

Contested Environmental Norms:
Cultural Narratives and Animal Protection in Modern Japan
Michal Kolmaš

Chinese Investment in Europe

Labor Unrest in Chinese-Invested Enterprises in Turkey:
Local Dynamics and Global Implications
Burak Gürel, Baran Şahinli, and Deniz Tuzcu

COMMENTARY
The Geopolitical Three-Body Problem:
US-China-Russia Dynamics and the New Reverse Kissinger Strategy
Involving Russia and North Korea
Kyung-tae Min

BOOK SYMPOSIUM
Book Symposium on David M. Lampton. 2024. Living U.S.-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Deborah Brautigam
Thomas Fingar
Zha Daojiong
David M. Lampton

The current issue of the journal can be found at https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/54346

FORTHCOMING ISSUE

Vol. 49, No. 2 SPRING 2025

Special Issue on Great Power Competition in the Indo-Pacific and Eurasia – Part 2

Great Power Competition in Small States:
The Case of Turkmenistan
Farkhod Aminjonov

Great Power Competition in Associated States:
The Case of Bhutan
B.M. Jain

Great Power Competition in Contested States:
The Case of Nagorno-Karabakh
Kristel Vits and Elias Götz

Great Power Competition in Territorial Autonomies:
The Case of Gagauzia
Marcin Kosienkowski

Politics in Asia

The Geoeconomics of the International North-South Transport Corridor:
Connecting or Competing with the Belt and Road Initiative
Nurlan Aliyev

Institutional Trust, Individualism, and Redistributive Attitudes in Asian Countries
Hoyong Jung

South Korea–China Relations

South Korea’s Narratives on China: Evidence from Elites, Masses, and Scholars
Esther Song

BOOK SYMPOSIUM

Book Symposium on Andreas Fulda. 2024. Germany and China: How Entanglement Undermines Freedom, Prosperity and Security. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Martin Sebena
Rowan Callick
Andreas Fulda

Current and back issues of the journal can be found at https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/733

Great Power Competition Across States and Quasi-States: Toward a Comparative Typology

The paradox of studying great power competition is that it is never just about studying great powers. Traditionally, geopolitical scholars often examine how great powers compete for influence over small states and how small states navigate such competition. Obviously, such a "great power–small state" framework is a natural extension of state-centrism in orthodox international relations scholarship, which conceptualizes the sovereign state as an ontological unit of analysis in world politics.This special issue endeavors to transcend the traditional "great power–small state" framework. Through a number of case studies in the Indo-Pacific and Eurasia—the two critical geopolitical theaters in the world today—this ... Read More

Great Power Competition in Small States: The Case of Singapore

Singapore is an atypical small state in many ways. Its strategic location, remarkable wealth, advanced economy, and unabashed efforts at self-promotion afford greater global prominence than might otherwise be the case. Singapore's efforts to navigate the intensifying rivalry between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC) help illustrate some of the challenges of managing major power competition for smaller actors. Even though entities with relatively limited capabilities, like Singapore, cannot themselves affect regional and international systems or alter the distribution of power, they exercise a degree of agency that can sometimes be important for contesting major powers. Structural ... Read More

Great Power Competition in Associated States: The Cases of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau

In recent years, the Pacific region has been caught in the escalating geostrategic competition between the United States and China. China's growing activities in the Pacific have caused grave concerns in the United States.In this article I conduct a case study of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau (hereafter 'FSM, RMI, and Palau'), which are the freely associated states (FAS) of the United States in the Pacific. I study these small countries as both objects and subjects of the US-China geostrategic competition. To be more specific, I analyze the United States' and China's respective main interests in these countries, their means to compete for influence ... Read More

Great Power Competition in Contested States: The Case of Taiwan

Taiwan represents a sovereignty-contested state whose statehood continues to be challenged by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC or China) and whose de jure statehood has not been acknowledged by the Western powers. However, irrespective of the definitional criteria of statehood outlined by the Montevideo Convention (Crawford 2006), or from a sociopolitical standpoint, Taiwan functions as a fully-fledged state. This contested state has sustained its de facto independence, enjoying tacit recognition from the majority of the world's states. This assertion is substantiated by a simple fact: the passports issued by the Government of the Republic of China (ROC or Taiwan) facilitate unimpeded global ... Read More

Great Power Competition in Territorial Autonomies: The Case Study of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)

The Unincorporated Territory of Guam (Guam) and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are neighboring islands in the Marianas Island Chain in the Western Pacific. The United States (US) has a historical presence and interests in these island territories, which are paramount to the US strategy (Degenfelder et al. 2023) and geopolitical agenda. However, the People's Republic of China (China) has challenged US regional power in the past decade and pulled most small Pacific Island nations into the conflict between China and the United States (Lohman 2020). The current discourse on the US-China competition is China has adopted a strategy of influence that reshapes the narrative and political decisions ... Read More

Contested Environmental Norms: Cultural Narratives and Animal Protection in Modern Japan

In recent decades, there has been a steady rise in the power and reach of environmental norms in international relations (IR). These norms include environmental stewardship, anti-CFCs (anti-chlorofluorocarbons), anti-leaded gas, corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, and others (see Bernstein 2013; Stalley 2018; Falkner 2020). They have put increasing pressure on governments to limit their carbon emissions, transform economies into more sustainable modes, limit the production of harmful substances, or protect nature. Many of these norms have become powerful quite quickly. For instance, it has taken the anti-microplastic norm merely half a decade to gain a globally shared status (Dauvergne ... Read More

Labor Unrest in Chinese-Invested Enterprises in Turkey: Local Dynamics and Global Implications

The rapid expansion of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) raises vital concerns regarding its political, environmental, social, and economic implications. Alongside the literature predominantly focusing on the motives, implementation, benefits, and harms of China's global investments, there is a growing body of literature on the impact of Chinese investments on workers in recipient countries. Following the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, the significance of this issue has increased. This article contributes to the growing literature by examining the trajectory of labor unrest in Chinese investments in Turkey, a BRI member since 2015.China has rapidly become a significant global investor ... Read More

The Geopolitical Three-Body Problem: US-China-Russia Dynamics and the New Reverse Kissinger Strategy Involving Russia and North Korea

The geopolitical landscape of the 21st century is marked by significant shifts and emerging complexities, particularly within the trilateral relations of the United States, China, and Russia (Kissinger 2011, 113).1 Unlike the Cold War era's bipolar confrontation, today's world is characterized by complex economic interdependencies that fundamentally alter the nature and implementation of strategic initiatives. This dynamic interplay creates a volatile international environment that challenges traditional approaches to foreign policy and global strategy.Historically, the balance of power has been shaped by dynamic interactions among major powers. The post-Cold War era briefly saw US unipolarity, which is now ... Read More

Living U.S.-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War by David M. Lampton (review)

Book Review of Living U.S.-China RelationsDavid "Mike" Lampton first set foot in mainland China a month after the September 1976 death of Chairman Mao Zedong. For nearly fifty years, his wise and insightful analyses have been pivotal to the dual worlds of academia and public policy. Author or editor of over a dozen scholarly books based on fieldwork and thousands of interviews, Lampton's service with several influential China-focused non-governmental organizations (NGOs), participation on dozens of US-China delegations, and nine testimonies on Capitol Hill gave him unusual entree into the practicalities of US-China relations.In his latest book, Lampton reflects on his decades as a scholar and policy leader. Living ... Read More

Great Power Competition Across States and Quasi-States: Toward a Comparative Typology

The paradox of studying great power competition is that it is never just about studying great powers. Traditionally, geopolitical scholars often examine how great powers compete for influence over small states and how small states navigate such competition. Obviously, such a "great power–small state" framework is a natural extension of state-centrism in orthodox international relations scholarship, which conceptualizes the sovereign state as an ontological unit of analysis in world politics.This special issue endeavors to transcend the traditional "great power–small state" framework. Through a number of case studies in the Indo-Pacific and Eurasia—the two critical geopolitical theaters in the world today—this ... Read More

Great Power Competition in Small States: The Case of Singapore

Singapore is an atypical small state in many ways. Its strategic location, remarkable wealth, advanced economy, and unabashed efforts at self-promotion afford greater global prominence than might otherwise be the case. Singapore's efforts to navigate the intensifying rivalry between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC) help illustrate some of the challenges of managing major power competition for smaller actors. Even though entities with relatively limited capabilities, like Singapore, cannot themselves affect regional and international systems or alter the distribution of power, they exercise a degree of agency that can sometimes be important for contesting major powers. Structural ... Read More

Great Power Competition in Associated States: The Cases of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau

In recent years, the Pacific region has been caught in the escalating geostrategic competition between the United States and China. China's growing activities in the Pacific have caused grave concerns in the United States.In this article I conduct a case study of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau (hereafter 'FSM, RMI, and Palau'), which are the freely associated states (FAS) of the United States in the Pacific. I study these small countries as both objects and subjects of the US-China geostrategic competition. To be more specific, I analyze the United States' and China's respective main interests in these countries, their means to compete for influence ... Read More

Great Power Competition in Contested States: The Case of Taiwan

Taiwan represents a sovereignty-contested state whose statehood continues to be challenged by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC or China) and whose de jure statehood has not been acknowledged by the Western powers. However, irrespective of the definitional criteria of statehood outlined by the Montevideo Convention (Crawford 2006), or from a sociopolitical standpoint, Taiwan functions as a fully-fledged state. This contested state has sustained its de facto independence, enjoying tacit recognition from the majority of the world's states. This assertion is substantiated by a simple fact: the passports issued by the Government of the Republic of China (ROC or Taiwan) facilitate unimpeded global ... Read More

Great Power Competition in Territorial Autonomies: The Case Study of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)

The Unincorporated Territory of Guam (Guam) and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are neighboring islands in the Marianas Island Chain in the Western Pacific. The United States (US) has a historical presence and interests in these island territories, which are paramount to the US strategy (Degenfelder et al. 2023) and geopolitical agenda. However, the People's Republic of China (China) has challenged US regional power in the past decade and pulled most small Pacific Island nations into the conflict between China and the United States (Lohman 2020). The current discourse on the US-China competition is China has adopted a strategy of influence that reshapes the narrative and political decisions ... Read More

Contested Environmental Norms: Cultural Narratives and Animal Protection in Modern Japan

In recent decades, there has been a steady rise in the power and reach of environmental norms in international relations (IR). These norms include environmental stewardship, anti-CFCs (anti-chlorofluorocarbons), anti-leaded gas, corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, and others (see Bernstein 2013; Stalley 2018; Falkner 2020). They have put increasing pressure on governments to limit their carbon emissions, transform economies into more sustainable modes, limit the production of harmful substances, or protect nature. Many of these norms have become powerful quite quickly. For instance, it has taken the anti-microplastic norm merely half a decade to gain a globally shared status (Dauvergne ... Read More

Labor Unrest in Chinese-Invested Enterprises in Turkey: Local Dynamics and Global Implications

The rapid expansion of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) raises vital concerns regarding its political, environmental, social, and economic implications. Alongside the literature predominantly focusing on the motives, implementation, benefits, and harms of China's global investments, there is a growing body of literature on the impact of Chinese investments on workers in recipient countries. Following the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, the significance of this issue has increased. This article contributes to the growing literature by examining the trajectory of labor unrest in Chinese investments in Turkey, a BRI member since 2015.China has rapidly become a significant global investor ... Read More

The Geopolitical Three-Body Problem: US-China-Russia Dynamics and the New Reverse Kissinger Strategy Involving Russia and North Korea

The geopolitical landscape of the 21st century is marked by significant shifts and emerging complexities, particularly within the trilateral relations of the United States, China, and Russia (Kissinger 2011, 113).1 Unlike the Cold War era's bipolar confrontation, today's world is characterized by complex economic interdependencies that fundamentally alter the nature and implementation of strategic initiatives. This dynamic interplay creates a volatile international environment that challenges traditional approaches to foreign policy and global strategy.Historically, the balance of power has been shaped by dynamic interactions among major powers. The post-Cold War era briefly saw US unipolarity, which is now ... Read More

Living U.S.-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War by David M. Lampton (review)

Book Review of Living U.S.-China RelationsDavid "Mike" Lampton first set foot in mainland China a month after the September 1976 death of Chairman Mao Zedong. For nearly fifty years, his wise and insightful analyses have been pivotal to the dual worlds of academia and public policy. Author or editor of over a dozen scholarly books based on fieldwork and thousands of interviews, Lampton's service with several influential China-focused non-governmental organizations (NGOs), participation on dozens of US-China delegations, and nine testimonies on Capitol Hill gave him unusual entree into the practicalities of US-China relations.In his latest book, Lampton reflects on his decades as a scholar and policy leader. Living ... Read More

Published by Johns Hopkins University Press for the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University

© Copyright 2019, All Rights Reserved

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy

Designed by Justin's Web Design

Share by: