Helena An
December 19, 2016
Final Summary Paper
International Relations of Asia
While the focus of this class is primarily centered on the post-Cold War era, it is important to
pay attention to the state of international relations before the Cold War, and in particular, the period
during and after the Second World War. When comparing the state of international relations, with a
particular focus on China, Japan, and nearby Asian countries, during and before the Cold War, and in
the post-Cold War Era, there is a notable shift as to what is important in international relations.
In the period before and during the Second World War, international relations, both in Asia,
and throughout the rest of the world centered on military and a nation’s militaristic and defense
security. The use of the Atomic bomb in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the world’s focus
on the development of nuclear weapons was just one example of the importance of military and
militaristic capabilities in international relations. It is during the Second World War where we also
see the use of biological and chemical weapons by the Axis Powers and the development of more
sophisticated naval and aircraft weaponry. Even in the decades preceding the outbreak of World War
I, we also see the emphasis on militaristic power as evidenced by the military buildup of countries
such as Britain, Germany and France.
As we jump over to the post-Cold War period, we see a shift in international relations. With
the introduction of the term “comprehensive security,” militaristic capabilities are no longer the most
important aspect of a nation’s international relations policies. Instead, a nation’s economic security
and power, as well as environmental and human security are also in play. While we most notably see
this shift during the post- Cold War era, we also see this change during the 1940s and 1950s. For
example, the implementation of the Marshall Plan, which put aside billions of dollars in an effort to
rebuild Europe following World War II. The Marshall Plan set out to not only rebuild Europe’s
infrastructure, but also aimed to help Europe recover economically. Economic recovery efforts were
also put into place in Japan, where, under General MacArthur, the United States set out to help Japan
rebuild and recover following the devastating war.
As economics becomes a more powerful aspect of international relations, we see an
abundance of Asian countries becoming more prominent on the world stage. While Asia’s rise in
importance and power is most evident during the period following the Cold War, we see this shift as
early as the post WWII era. Following the end of World War II, the breakup of colonial empires lead
to the independence of thirteen nation-states in Asia. Among them, the creation of North and South
Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
With more and more Asian nations gaining their independence from Western Colonial
powers, just a couple decades later, this would coincide with the U.S. hegemonic decline by 1985,
and the collapse of Soviet power in 1990. Furthermore, at the global level, the post-Cold War era led
to many different changes in the world order. For example, the start of multipolarity, having six
major powers in Europe alone in addition to the decline of U.S. influence and power following the
2009 G-20 meeting. Lastly, the decline in the salience of nuclear deterrence, along with the loss of
the nuclear umbrella, which was traditionally provided for by former superpowers, led to increases in
military budgets and resulted in an arms race among smaller nations.
Along with the aforementioned changes to the world order, relations between nations shifted
from a geopolitical focus to a more geoeconomics focus. This was most evident at both the macro
and micro level, where the world shifted to the globalization of production, manufacturing,
marketing, management, research and development and financing. On a micro level, a nation’s focus
from a militaristic to a more economic sphere is evident from the fact that a nation’s economic
security is now the most important. Economic security is now more dependent on national means
rather than international means and national power is no longer defined through a single lens.