East Asia Institute (EAI) held the 40th Smart Talk Forum with Dr. T.J. Pempel on Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Dr. Pempel is Jack M. Forcey professor in U.C. Berkeley’s Department of Political Science. At the forum, he analyzed how increasing economic and institutional interdependence in East Asia affects the region from the perspectives of South Korea’s relations with North Korea, the United States, China, and Japan. Applying to the region the term “cockpit of great power rivalry” first coined by Professor Aaron Friedberg, Dr. Pempel stressed that there still exist a number of security tensions in spite of greater economic interdependence. He suggested that challenges and opportunities for cooperation co-existing in the region should be addressed by focusing on such topics as economic, nontraditional security, maritime security issues and North Korean nuclear threats. In conclusion, Dr. Pempel argued that rise of China will likely challenge aspects of the status quo in the East Asian region and ultimately the future of East Asia will be shaped “less by the absolutes of theory and more by the practical actions of political leaders.” Following the presentation, participants discussed in depth how economic-security nexus in Northeast Asia affects the regional security architecture and dynamics, multilateral institutions, and role of the U.S.

Topic
“The Economic-Security Nexus in Northeast Asia”

Presenter
T.J. Pempel, University of California at Berkeley