- BA Course

This course seeks to scrutinize the political and security developments within the Asia-Pacific region by contextualizing at the centre of its enquiry Japan’s foreign policy, in particular her alliance with the United States. In doing so, the course utilizes basic International Relations’ theories, concepts and analytical frameworks to help students acquire an introduction to Japanese foreign policy and to the international politics of this fascinating region. Given the relative peace and prosperity that the Asia-Pacific region enjoys, it is ironic that the security architecture of region today is underpinned principally by the US-Japan alliance, an institution born out of the Cold War. The continued existence of the US-Japan Security Treaty should not be taken for granted as developments in the domestic politics of the countries involved as well as regional politics have continually highlighted a need for Japan and the US to rethink and reevaluate the existence of this partnership. This course is also designed to give students an understanding of the main aspects of Japan’s key political aspirations of becoming a “normal” nation six decades after the Pacific War, and the implications this has for today’s Japanese foreign policy. Students completing the course will acquire a good knowledge of the international relations of Asia-Pacific in the post-1945 period, and a thorough appreciation of the strategic difficulties and political-economic challenges faced by Japan and the United States in the region’s evolving politics.