Drifts and Dynamics

The future of international relations hangs by a thread as Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine. Countries across the world have responded in myriad ways ranging from outright condemnation and imposition of sanctions on Russia, to taking a neutral stand, or tacitly supporting Russia. Each of these responses has a multi-faceted geopolitical rationale that cannot be inferred through a binary lens. The West led by the USA and NATO desires the world to toe its line of condemnation of the Russian action. However, their efforts have not eventuated in reality so far.

Northeast Asia is a vital region in international relations. Be it the rising Chinese aggression, the Taiwanese fears of a cross-Strait attack, increasing North Korean belligerence, South Korea`s smart diplomacy or Japan`s increasingly bold foreign policy as opposed to its once pacifist constitution; these issues in themselves call for a deeper assessment. In assessing the diversity of responses to the ongoing war, a study of the approaches from Northeast Asian countries, i.e., China, Taiwan, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea is of extreme importance.

This book, based on studies of the geopolitics of each of these countries, carefully assesses their responses and challenges that have only increased since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war on February 22, 2022. Irrespective of how the conflict takes shape, this book, which is the first of its kind, will remain relevant for years to come to study how countries in Northeast Asia responded in the immediate aftermath of the Russian onslaught.