Event

Date and Time: December 2 (Saturday), 18:00-19:30
Speaker: Lee Jongsung (Academic Researcher, Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies)
Title: A Study on the Factors of Alliance Changes - Focusing on Japan-US-Korea Relations before and after the End of the Cold War
Format: Zoom

Click here to register to participate : https://231202moduleseminar.peatix.com/

Abstract

In the realism theory of Hans Morgenthau and Robert Kaplan, in an anarchic international society, states pursue a "balance of power" and use "alliances" as a means to maintain this balance. In other words, alliances exist as a tool for countries with common interests against threats to combine their capabilities. This is what might be called the "capability aggregation model" of alliances. Based on this model, James Morrow argues that in "asymmetric alliances," where there is a significant power difference between member states, the cohesion among the allies is strong, and the duration of the alliance tends to be longer. Furthermore, factors such as changes in the international environment or changes in the foreign strategy of the relatively more powerful member states are considered important in the dissolution or transformation of alliances. This report attempts to fit the evolution of Japan-US and US-Korea alliances, especially around the 1990s, into these discussions. In doing so, it examines the impact of changes in the international environment or changes in the foreign strategy of the relatively more powerful member states on alliances, referencing diplomatic documents from Japan, the US, and Korea that have been released in recent years.

Profile：LEE JONGSUNG

After earning a bachelor's degree (3.5 years early graduation, second in the department, scholarship recipient every semester) and a master's degree in South Korea, he worked at institutes of international relations and a broadcasting university. He received his Doctor of Law degree in 2018. From 2017 to 2019, he was an assistant professor at Kyushu University Graduate School of Law and is currently an academic researcher at the Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies. His specialties include international political theory and foreign policy. His main works include "Neoconservatism and Realist Internationalism in the United States" in "Hosei Kenkyu" (Journal of Law and Politics), combined 3-4th issue, and "A Study on the Construction and Outcomes of Unique International Political Theories by Japan, China, and Korea" in "International Politics Review", Volume 54, Issue 4.