Why Has East Asia Avoided Major War? — Timo Kivimäki

This episode of The IR thinker explores Professor Timo Kivimäki’s notion of a “Long Peace” in East Asia, examining its historical roots, the role of non-interference, developmentalism and economic interdependence, and the distinct diplomatic practices that underpin regional stability. The conversation also addresses key criticisms, current security threats, and what Western policy-makers and scholars might learn from East Asian approaches to peacekeeping and order-building.Professor Timo Kivimäki is a leading scholar of International Relations, currently Professor at the University of Bath and Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Sejong Institute in Seoul. He has previously held professorships at the Universities of Helsinki, Lapland and Copenhagen, and directed both the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and the Institute of Development Studies in Helsinki, contributing extensively to peace research and the study of East Asian international relations.Selected PublicationsProtecting the Global Civilian from ViolenceThe Failure to Protect: The Path to and Consequences of Humanitarian InterventionismThe Long Peace of ASEANPower, contribution and dependence in NATO burden sharingChapters00:00 Introduction02:15 Inspiration for Studying Peace in the East Asia Region03:42 Challenges Faced in Researching East Asia05:19 Defining the Long Peace of East Asia07:06 Differentiating the Long Peace from Other Peace Periods in the Region08:22 The Principle of Non-Interference11:15 Origins of the Non-Interference Concept in East Asia12:57 Criticism: Non-Interference and the Perpetuation of Authoritarian Violence17:44 The Concept of Developmentalism19:07 China and ASEAN’s Role in East Asian Peace21:25 Face-Saving Strategies in Diplomacy25:27 Economic Interdependence in East Asia27:42 Exploring Other Forms of Interdependence28:57 Weaknesses in the Long Peace of East Asia Theory31:36 Balancing Non-Interference with Humanitarian Intervention in East Asia34:22 Diverse Regimes and the Notion of Democratisation in East Asia39:36 Lessons the West Can Learn from East Asian Peacekeeping43:36 Multipolarity vs. the Current West-Led International Order46:51 Explaining Current Security Threats in East Asia52:33 Potential Research Gaps in East Asian Peace Studies54:43 Diversity of Researchers in Peace StudiesFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theirthinker/X: https://x.com/theirthinkerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theirthinker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.