Jeju Peace Institute

This study seeks to address the political reality faced by the notion of building a multilateral community in East Asia and various institutional arrangements required to overcome problems associated with the challenge. The study aims to develop to a next level theories that have already been dealt with in existing theses through in-depth case studies related to the theories. Based on a theory called the Membership Game, which is related to multilateral cooperation, this study intends to identify the four major variables used in the game balance between the indifference of superpowers and necessity of other potential member nations, superpowers’ competition and balance of power strategies, regional countries’ balance of interest, strategies, and checks, and membership game through counter responses ? as well as apply them to the idea of building a new multilateral organization in East Asia and offer analytical explanation. Contents I. Introduction: A New International Order? II. Theorization of Multilateralism in East Asia II. Case Studies IV. Conclusions