University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation

In the wake of major domestic and international changes, most especially the end of the Cold War and 9/11 for all, but additionally the collapse of the asset bubble in Japan and the transition from military authoritarianism to democratization in the ROK and Taiwan, all of the countries in question saw sharply divided domestic coalitions pressing for often diametrically opposed courses in national security and foreign policy. This brief begins by noting the limits of classical realist interpretations of international relations in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. It then addresses the importance of ‘comprehensive security’ as a driver for all of the countries in question. Finally, it examines the broad domestic clashes over foreign and security policy in each of four key democracies in the region and closes with a few general observations about the salience of regional domestic politics.