This thesis investigates the following research question: ''How has the development of the economic interdependence between China and Indonesia affected their behavior in the Natuna territorial...Show moreThis thesis investigates the following research question: ''How has the development of the economic interdependence between China and Indonesia affected their behavior in the Natuna territorial dispute.'' The conclusion is that in the last twenty years Indonesia has developed an economic dependence on China. As a result, China has increasingly used bluffing in the Natuna dispute. As a response, Indonesia has been caught in a balancing act between the economic interests of the Natuna territory and its relationship with China. On the one hand, Indonesia has been constrained by China’s behavior. On het other hand, Indonesia has also been more determined to resist China’s bluffing. This has led to more incidents and incidents with a higher level of hostility over time.Show less
The lingering dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over the ancient Temple of Preah Vihear has still not been resolved. This may seem strange from the point of view of international law. In 1962,...Show moreThe lingering dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over the ancient Temple of Preah Vihear has still not been resolved. This may seem strange from the point of view of international law. In 1962, the International Court of Justice made a ruling on this issue, which should have resolved the dispute between the two countries. The ongoing dispute is, in fact, an indicator of the more comprehensive problem of demarcation of the past. The origins of the Preah Vihear Temple border conflict date back to colonial times and the subsequent decolonization period. During those times, both Cambodia and Thailand made efforts to augment their territorial sovereignty and to promote nationalism. The conflict thus created unfortunately continues to this day. The temple dispute has always been ready to erupt under the right circumstances if it suited Thai and Cambodian politicians. Moreover, the negative images and memories between Thailand and Cambodia have never ceased to exist, but are instead carefully maintained for political purposes. Such perspectives make it highly unlikely that the Preah Vihear issue will be resolved any time soon. Thai and Cambodian leaders have become stuck in a cycle of distrust about border issues that has been going on for many decades. The Preah Vihear dispute shows just how fragile Thai-Cambodian relations really are. The painful historical background, along with nationalist sentiments in the unfinished development of nation-building in both countries, is thwarting the formation of good relations. Preah Vihear, the temple on the border, has remained at the center of bilateral anxiety. This place of consecration has thus become a bone of contention.Show less
This paper primarily challenges realists’ viewpoints of Chinese actions during the Diaoyu/Senkaku territorial disputes in 2010 and 2012. Through economic interdependence theory, realists regard the...Show moreThis paper primarily challenges realists’ viewpoints of Chinese actions during the Diaoyu/Senkaku territorial disputes in 2010 and 2012. Through economic interdependence theory, realists regard the Chinese acts as a form of geopolitical bargaining and claim that China is becoming more aggressive and assertive. Liberalists’ perspectives on the other hand, fail to explain why the dispute has escalated. Alternately, realists’ viewpoints overlook a number of factors and overestimate the role of the Chinese government. Two case studies will point out that the Chinese government has unjustly been accused of i) imposing an embargo on rare earth elements to Japan in order to gain a geopolitical leverage in the Diaoyu/Senkaku dispute in 2010 and ii) did not shape popular discontent primarily for the sake of coercing Japan in the bargaining process during the Diaoyu/Senkaku dispute in 2012.Show less
This thesis focuses on whether the DPJ government framed its recent security policy regarding China concerning the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute. By analyzing the dominant realist narrative and...Show moreThis thesis focuses on whether the DPJ government framed its recent security policy regarding China concerning the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute. By analyzing the dominant realist narrative and alternative ways to perceive the policy, an overview is given of some notable works on the subject. A discourse analysis is used on the political discourse after the Boat Collision Incident of 2010 and the Purchase Incident of 2012. Based on the results of these case studies, this thesis maintains the position that the DPJ government did not frame the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute in order to advance a broader security policy. Instead, Tokyo tends to shelve the dispute and focus more on maintaining good bilateral relations with China.Show less
