Non-alignment despite Strategic Incentives: The Enigma of Korea-Japan Relations

• In Event: Emerging Scholars Lightning Round: Graduate Student Research: Understanding Military, Economic, and Status Security in Contemporary and Historical Contexts

Abstract

What explains instances of persistent historical animosity among nations over time, particularly instances in which two nations otherwise face strong strategic and/or material incentives to align with one another? This article argues that the largely structural nature of existing theories of alliance formation and management are ill-equipped to understand the strength and nature of long-standing, multi-generational historical hatreds, instead stipulating that states decide with whom to align based primarily on factors from without their borders. It instead suggests that historical animosities often persist as an ongoing exercise of national identity formation in one or both nations, which in turn leads to non-alignment even in cases where structural factors point to strategic convergence. This article explores the case of contemporary relations between the Republic of Korea and Japan as a preliminary case study. A detailed discursive analysis of four leading print media outlets in the Republic of Korea demonstrates that Japan represents a fundamental "significant Other" against which Koreans understand themselves as a nation, often in direct opposition to (select) traits and qualities found in Japanese society. The article thus offers refinements to existing theories of alliance formation and management. Long-standing historical animosities must be appropriately integrated into current understandings of alignment and non-alignment behavior among states. States who base their collective national identities against other states will struggle to align regardless of structural or material incentives to the contrary.

Author

• Daniel Yoon