Envisioning Different Regional Orders: Explaining Limited Regionalism in East Asia.

In post-Cold War East Asia, there seems to be a widening gap between the call for regionalism and the regional reality in which some of East Asian countries remain fixated on bilateral relations with the United States. Underlying this puzzling regional situation are different understandings of the proper nature of the evolving regional order and various meanings attached to the role of regionalism. Specifically, Chinese highlight regionalism as a means to dampen regional concerns about the rise of China and to balance U.S. regional influence. Japanese, on the other hand, regard regionalism as a hedging option in case of America's lukewarm regional commitment, whereas South Koreans see it as a channel to revamp their regional role amid the shifting regional context. Lacking a common thread, East Asian regionalism is increasingly adrift. With specific reference to China, Japan, and South Korea, this paper explores the political contexts in which policymakers in each country articulate different regional visions. An analysis of different ideas about the regional order would help us better understand the sources of discord among the regional actors and their impact on the emerging regional order in East Asia. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]