The purpose of this blog is to invite discussion and debate about the best ways to encourage reconciliation among the countries of Northeast Asia and how to build new, multilateral institutions in the region to enhance peace and strategic stability. The basic assumption of the project is that it will be difficult if not impossible to establish viable, security institutions without the resolution of historical and contemporary differences among the states involved.
To date, we have convened two international workshops: the first, on “Reconciliation between China and Japan,” held at the ANU in August 2006; and the second, on “Security Cooperation in Northeast Asia,” held at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul in April 2008. A third workshop is planned for Taiwan in October 2009 on “Comparing Strategies of Reconciliation.” Papers from the first two workshops have been published in special issues of the journal Asian Perspective (31:1, 2007, and 32:4. 2008), available online.
Our objective is to produce concrete and realistic policy proposals for peacebuilding in Northeast Asia. Working with colleagues from China, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States, we want, for example, to help make a success of the Six Party Talks on the DPRK nuclear programs, and to provide useful ideas for a potential East Asian Community. A future workshop will bring together colleagues from around the region to share proposals for designing a new, multilateral security institution for NE Asia based on the six-party foundation.
Mel Gurtov
Richard Tanter
Peter Van Ness – Coordinator