International Relations Of Northeast Asia In the US: Area Studies, Disciplines, And Regional Coverage

Abstract

A preoccupation with the US and narrow notions of area studies have obstructed scholarship on the diversity of bilateral relations and the emergence of the Northeast Asian regional community. During the Cold War, for example, this meant that Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese ties were neglected. In the 1990s the problem became more acute because many bilateral ties intensified and acquired new dimensions. There was an outpouring of new primary and secondary sources within the region, while rapidly evolving conditions made updating of insights imperative. The gap keeps widening between the claims of globalists with little area knowledge, and the opportunities to deepen understanding by applying area expertise to the flux in bilateral and regional relations. The traditions of Chinese, Japanese and Russian area studies have proven valuable, but inadequate. There is a need for scholars who will develop approaches that navigate between global and area studies. Few specialists on Northeast Asian area relations not involving the US can be found in the US, and the situation is scarcely improving. Experts must be trained for in depth, balanced bilateral analysis. Increasingly, there is a need for triangular experts as well. Indeed, working closely with centers inside the region, the US and other Western scholarly communities should be training a new generation of Northeast Asianists comfortable as area experts while also at home in the disciplines.