Moving Beyond Hermit Kingdoms. Korea in Burma’s Foreign Policy
Journal Title: Krakowskie Studia Międzynarodowe - Year 2015, Vol 0, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper deals with the problem of the Burma-Korea relations. It starts from the intriguing fact that both Burma and Korea, despite not having much in common, have been called the Hermit Kingdoms. This paper asks whether this “hermit” similarity has had any effect on their relations and what the place of Korea in Burma’s foreign policy has been. After describing the hermit heritage in the Burmese and the Korean political cultures, this papers concludes that Korean issues have not been central to the Burmese policy. They form an important, though a secondary, dimension. As for the place of Korea(s) in Burma’s foreign policy, the answer is equally unimpressive. The political relations between Burma and both Korean states have not been strategic. Two events attracted the world’s attention to the Burmese-Korean relations – the assassination in Rangoon and Burma’s nuclear affair with North Korea – but both turned out to be mere incidents. North Korea – Burma relations stalled, or hibernated, after Burma started its reforms and opening up to the West in 2011. For the same reasons of reforms, however, Burma has become even more interesting for South Korea. Myanmar may become a place for massive South Korean investments soon. It is the economic dominance of South Korea that makes the Burma-Korea relations asymmetric. It’s a “normalized asymmetry”, however, one where both sides are confi dent of fulfi lling their basic interests and expectations of mutual benefi ts. This “normalized asymmetry” makes the Burma-South Korea relations bound to develop in the future.
Authors and Affiliations
Michał Lubina
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP198605
- DOI -
- Views 77
- Downloads 0
kryzys funkcjonowania oraz roli międzynarodowej Unii Europejskiej w drugiej dekadzie XXI wieku. Część 2: Kontrowersje wokół rozwoju wewnętrznego i współpracy międzynarodowej. Wprowadzenie
brak
Rola Niemiec w geopolitycznej grze o Ukrainę w latach 2013–2015
The aim of the article is to present the role of Germany in the geopolitical game over Ukraine. It consists of three parts, in which successively were presented: general frameworks and the geopolitical dimension of Ukrai...
Wokół przyszłości Unii Europejskiej. Niemieckie debaty; On the future of the European Union: German debates
Artykuł podejmuje zagadnienie przyszłości Unii Europejskiej w kontekście dyskusji prowadzonych w Niemczech przez polityków i wiodące media na temat przyczyn „rozchodzenia się” wspólnoty państw. Zauważa się i poddaje anal...
„Wokół nowej roli międzynarodowej Niemiec” – debata połączona z prezentacją najnowszej książki prof. dra hab. Erharda Cziomera Wyzwania nowej roli międzynarodowej Niemiec w dobie globalizacji, kryzysów gospodarczych i finansowo-politycznych po 2007 roku, Oficyna Wydawnicza AFM, Kraków 2018
brak
Regionalna obrona terytorialna – możliwości i szanse współpracy
Regional cooperation of territorial defense formations: capabilities and chances The author considers legal background of military international cooperation, then he describes basic doctrinal documents of the Polish Arme...