More foreign policy wonk material (in .pdf format)–albeit much shorter than the last–from the ICG. Many readers are probably already familiar with much of its content, but it remains a good summary of the historical, territorial (including Dokdo and Kando) and nationalistic disputes that plague this little neck of the woods. As it begins:
Shifting power relations in North East Asia are spurring
rising nationalism in China, Japan and South Korea,
aggravating long-standing disputes over territorial claims
and differing interpretations of history. Failure to bridge
these differences could raise tensions and impede efforts to
tackle the security and economic challenges confronting
the region. While finding lasting solutions will be difficult,
a series of practical confidence and institution-building
steps should be taken immediately by the three states to
keep the simmering disputes from boiling over.The economic rise of China, generational shifts in South
Korea, and the waning of Japan??s economic dominance
have spurred xenophobia that occasionally spills over into
violence. All three need to work together to address their
major challenges in security, non-proliferation, energy
procurement and environmental protection, but North
East Asia remains one of the least integrated regions, with
no effective institutions to address its common political
and security problems.
Nobody comes out smelling like roses after this report, which even went as far as to advise South Korea to thank Japan for economic aid provided after the 1965 normalization treaty (something that caught the Dong-A Ilbo’s attention). Anyway, read it on your own.
