Conflict & Peace in Asia Flashcards
What have been the wars in Asia since 1945?
Chinese civil war
Korean War
War in Indochina
Vietnam Wars
Sino-Indian War
India vs. Pakistan
What is Japan’s Post-WWII transformation?
Japan’s military power decisively defeated in WWII
Thereafter not viewed as a military threat
How do Japanese and Chinese relations change after WWII?
Despite vast physical destruction, Japan remains the great industrial power of Asia, but loses its biggest market: China
With US support, Japan rebuilds economy and expands outside of China
How does the Japanese and Chinese economies change during the 1980s onwards?
By 1980s, Japan rivals the US economy
By 1990s, Japan’s economy falters - the new rising power becomes China
What does the fear created by the Korean War lead to?
Leads to US rearmament, expansion of NATO, defense of Taiwan, support to French war in Indochina, support to British fight in Malaya
Creation of permanent US military presence in South Korea
What was the outcome of the Korean War?
Stalemate, remained divided
A technical state of war still exists
What made the United Nations Command important?
Signifies the world’s first attempt at collective security under the United Nations system
Designated the United States as the leader of the unified command
How did the Cold War mark the end of the colonial empires?
British fight insurgency in Malaya in 1950s (labelled an Emergency); later fight in Borneo
Dutch fight and fail to regain control of Indonesia
Despite military successes, combination of financial burden, external pressure leads both to reduce commitments/withdraw
How did the War in Indochina conclude?
The costs of maintaining presence in Indochina are too high, France withdraws after 1954
Vietnam split in two: Communist north and Non-Communist south pending national election
What were the major consequences of the War in Indochina?
A superpower humbled
A new nation
2+ million dead
What were the four India-Pakistan Wars?
- 1947-1948 (Kashmir)
- 1965 (Kashmir)
- 1971 (E. Pakistan/Bangladesh)
- 1999 (Kashmir)
All wars characterised by low intensity
What was the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979?
Begins on 17 February 1979 with invasion by 220,000 Chinese troops
Military action limited to ground war only
War lasts one month following unilateral Chinese ceasefire
Pre-war territorial status quo maintained
Where did the East Asian Peace Theory originate from?
From 1946-1979, East Asia accounted for roughly 80 percent of the world’s battle deaths
Since 1979, countries in East Asia have enjoyed relative peace - no major interstate war, only minor conflicts, mostly internal
Why is there peace in the region according to the East Asian Peace Theory?
ASEAN+ model of consultation/consensus-building, focus on trade, limited political integration (at least compared to EU)
Democratic peace theory doesn’t work since many countries are autocratic/semi-democratic
How did East Asia historically shift into peace over time?
Spread of peace came about as a cumulative effect of a series of national priority shifts - governing elites decided to shift from ideological priorities to state-driven economic growth
Most Asian states stabilise politically/economically after first decades of independence - internal opposition mostly evaporates
