Digital Commons Network^™

New Balance Of Threat: East Asian Alliance Formation And Capacity Development, Ben Humphreys

Honors Theses

The different analyses and predictions of alliance behavior and capacity development advocated in the literature are based on the application of different theoretical perspectives to international relationships. As none of these theories dominate the field, the contradictory predictions do not empower current policy-makers with any clear sense of the future of alliance formation in East Asia. In this thesis I present the major theoretical frameworks that explain alliance formation behavior. Then I examine the empirical evidence independent of any theoretical considerations. I then apply the empirical evidence regarding capacity development in East Asia during 1990-1998 to these theories to determine …