Institutional balancing in the Asia-Pacific

Year 2013, Volume: 68 Issue: 04, 1 - 16, 01.04.2013

Gökhan Akşemsettinoğlu

https://doi.org/10.1501/SBFder_0000002293

Abstract

This study is about how the secondary (smaller) powers of the Asia-Pacific region balance the major powers – the US and China – through multilateral (regional) institutions in the international system. This paper explains the increasing importance of the Asia-Pacific region, where the major powers encounter and challenge each other, and examines the smaller powers of the region, which pursue balancing policies against the major powers through multilateral (regional) institutions. Therefore, this paper sets forth the increasing effectiveness of multilateral institutions for balancing the US and China, and claims that the so-called “institutional balancing” in the Asia-Pacific region has been making a great contribution to restructuring of the international system. Based on a case-study approach, the paper concludes that the efforts of secondary states to include major powers in regional institutions, helps to maintain balance in their powers within the Asia-Pacific and reorder the international system.

Keywords

Balance of power, Asia-Pacific, the United States and China, smaller/major powers, international institutions

Asya Pasifik’te Kurumsal Dengeleme

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Asya-Pasifik bölgesindeki küçük devletlerin bölgedeki büyük devletler olan Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ile Çin’i uluslararası sistemde çok taraflı bölgesel kurumlar aracılığıyla nasıl dengelediği üzerinedir. Bu çalışmada, büyük güçlerin karşı karşıya geldiği ve birbirlerine meydan okudukları AsyaPasifik bölgesinin artan önemi açıklanmakta ve çok taraflı bölgesel kurumlar yoluyla büyük güçlere karşı dengeleme politikası izleyen bölgedeki küçük devletler araştırılmaktadır. Buna göre, bu çalışma, ABD ile Çin’in gücünü dengelemekte olan çok taraflı kurumların artan önemini ortaya koymakta ve Asya-Pasifik bölgesindeki “kurumsal dengelemenin” uluslararası sistemin yeniden yapılandırılmasına önemli katkı sağladığını iddia etmektedir. “Örnek olay incelemesi” yaklaşımını temel alan bu çalışmada, bir yandan büyük devletleri bölgesel kurumlara dahil etmeye çalışan küçük devletlerin gayretlerinin Asya-Pasifik bölgesindeki dengenin devam etmesine, diğer yandan da uluslararası sistemin yeniden düzenlenmesine yardımcı olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

Keywords

Güç dengesi, Asya-Pasifik, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Çin, küçük/büyük devletler, uluslararası kurumlar

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