Book Review: Asia and the Pacific: China, Europe and International Security: Interests, Roles and Prospects
| Author | Salvatore Finamore |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1478-9302.2012.00268_6.x |
| Published date | 01 May 2012 |
| Date | 01 May 2012 |
| Published By | Sage Publications, Inc. |
China, Europe and International Security: Inter-
ests, Roles and Prospects by Frans-Paul van der
Putten and Chu Shulong (eds). Abingdon: Rout-
ledge, 2010.216pp., £75.00, ISBN 978 0 415 58580 4
In the growing literature on China–Europe relations,
relatively few publications so far have devoted much
attention to the role these two actors can play together
in the field of international security.As such, the
volume under review,which balances diverse perspec-
tives from both European and Chinese authors,consti-
tutes a welcome addition to this evolving field of
research.The book is centred around three main ques-
tions: (1) How do Europe and China view each other’s
security roles? (2) In which direction is the bilateral
security relationship developing? (3) How are China’s
and Europe’s changing roles affecting international
security? Each of the eleven chapters of this volume
deals with one or more of these questions.
Although the book is not formally divided into the-
matic sub-sections, it is possible to group the chapters
according to some common ideas and approaches.The
issue of mutual perceptions is tackled specifically in the
first two chapters, authored respectively by May-Britt
Stumbaum and ZhangYanbing, which highlight the
centrality of Europe and China for each other’s security
outlooks.Two chapters deal with the role of other key
security players in the dynamics of China–Europe rela-
tions: Chu Shulong and Chen Songchuan consider the
importance of US–China–Europe triangular relations in
the global security structure, while Feng Feng examines
the role played by Russia,China and Europe as the
three main Eurasian strategic actors.Two chapters, by
Wang Bo and by Xuan Xingzhang andYang Xiaoping,
take a broader view on China–Europe security rela-
tions, the former by outlining the role of conventional
and non-conventional security issues, the latter by
looking at long-term hegemonic cycles. Finally, several
authors present detailed case studies of China–Europe
security relations, such as Nicola Casarini on coopera-
tion in the field of space and defence technology,
Gudrun Wacker on EastAsian security,Willem van
Kemenade on the Iranian nuclear dispute,Janka Oertel
on UN peace operations, and Susanne Kamerling and
Frans-Paul var der Putten on Somali piracy and mari-
time operations in the Indian Ocean.
As the editors to this volume suggest, China–Europe
relations have not yet realised their full potential impact
on international security.This publication is nonethe-
less timely,as it draws readers’ attention to current
dynamics and developments whose importance cannot
be overestimated.This book speaks equally to scholars
and policy makers, and it should appeal not only to
those interested in China–Europe relations,but also
more generally to those involvedin the field of secur ity
studies.
Salvatore Finamore
(University of Cambridge)
The Korean State and Social Policy:How South
Korea Lifted Itself from Poverty and Dictator-
ship to Affluence and Democracy by Stein
Ringen, Huck-Ju Kwon, Ilcheong Yi, Taekyoon
Kim and Jooha Lee. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2011. 137pp., £32.50, ISBN 9780199734351
Less than 60 years ago,South Korea seemed to be a
poor country with a bleak economic and social future.
Today, South Korea is the tenth largest economy in
the world and one of the most widely admired‘Asian
Tigers’. In contrast to fellowAsian Tigers like Hong
Kong and Singapore,however,South Korea has also
created a comprehensive social insurance system,
which has expanded in response to democratisation
and the 1997 ‘Asian Crisis’.In this book, Stein
Ringen and his Korean colleagues explain why South
Korea succeeded in creating a strong economy and a
genuine welfare state.According to them, the most
important factor to explain these historical develop-
ments lies in the nature of the mixed governance
system put forward by South Korea’s post-war military
rulers, especially President Park Chung Hee,who
stayed in power from a 1961 coup d’état to his assas-
sination in 1979. Instead of crushing civil society,Park
and his successors sought the support of, and collabo-
rated with, businesses and voluntary organisations to
modernise the economy and deliver increasingly com-
prehensive social benefits.In South Korea,post-war
authoritarian presidents used both soft and hard power
to preserve their authority but also to modernise the
economy in the name of a powerful nationalistic creed
according to which the country’s stance in the world
should be restored after years of war and,before that,
Japanese colonial domination. By mobilising society,
the authoritarian state – despite its dark and cruel
side – paved the way for economic development and
306 ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
© 2012 TheAuthors. Political Studies Review © 2012 Political Studies Association
Political Studies Review: 2012, 10(2)
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