Publication

This paper addresses the future roles and interests of the four major Asia-Pacific powers. The author examines the positions of the United States, Japan, China and Russia and how their policies will impact security in Northeast Asia and, more specifically, the Korean Peninsula in the 21st century. The author argues that the prospects for future stability on the Korean Peninsula and elsewhere in Northeast Asia depend in large measure on both the willingness and ability of the four Asian powers to cooperate among themselves and with the two Koreas. The paper concludes that, while any one of the four powers can adversely impact regional security, and major tensions within any one of the fifteen bilateral relationships, it is clear that the United States and China remain the central players.