150017 VU Regionalism in East Asia: ASEAN´s centrality in Southeast - Northeast Asian Relations (2015W)

While regional cooperation has in Southeast Asia started already in the 1950s, it is a comparatively new phenomenon in Northeast Asia. Moreover, even in Northeast Asia the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the key promoter of regional cooperation. Consequently, one focus will rest on ASEAN´s centrality in East Asia which is based on its ability to facilitate compromises between the main regional and external players. For this, ASEAN has established institutions such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN plus three (APT) and the East Asia Summit (EAS). Also in Southeast Asia, it further aims to deepen integration, notably by establishing the ASEAN Community by the end of 2015.
In order to analyze regionalism in whole East Asia, this course will start with examining the reasons for the differences between regional cooperation in Southeast and Northeast Asia. It will thereby scrutinize regional and sub-regional mechanisms and selected policy areas, in particular economy and security. Another field of research are the roles of China (trade and security relations, the new Silk Roads ...), Japan (investments, ODA ...) and the US (TPP, security partnerships ...) in promoting or hindering regionalism in East Asia. In order to better understand the dynamic processes, theoretically and methodologically International Relations, Governance and economic theories will be applied.