Jeju Peace Institute

YOON Tae-Ryoung (Assistant Professor, Konkuk University)

Recently, concerns have been expressed about the possibility of a new Cold War breaking out between the Western and Eastern Blocs due to the conflict between the USA’s current strategy of rebalancing toward Asia and the strategic alliance between China and Russia. That, along with the currently deepening maritime disputes in East Asia, casts a dark shadow over the prospects for stability in the region. Nonetheless, the successful settlement of a territorial dispute between China and Russia, which had lasted for more than 300 years, is worth looking back on as the basis for a ray of hope for East Asian countries entangled in similar disputes.

 

There is no such thing as inevitability in history or international politics. After all, it is people who make history, although they are restricted by the environment (structure) formed by earlier history. National leaders are not people who respond to the international political environment as a robot would, but are rather persons with the power to influence events and transform a dismal reality for the better by pushing ahead with the necessary policies with resolve and commitment.

 

That said, the future of East Asia very much depends on the types of leaders elected by the people of the countries in the region. The reality of international politics is always formed through interaction between the parties involved rather than by extremes of people and structure (or determination and determinism). The abovementioned case involving China and Russia suggests that it is possible to achieve regional peace in East Asia, provided that the politicians who are intent on inciting nationalistic fervor are removed from the equation and replaced by those who can apply the lessons of history to reality with adequate vision and capability.