If you are reading this page, you may be curious why there is a new Udemy course focusing on these particular countries. (Or perhaps you landed here by mistake, in which case, please read on nonetheless!). The reason is rather straightforward. Across our planet there are many latent, unresolved, historical conflicts which have become more acute due to recent events.Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in the region under review in this course, which has seen more than its share of conflict and change in the past century. Living Law®’s approach to analysing the impact of history on today’s geopolitical situation is to use the law as a frame of reference. Law reflects culture and culture drives law.
Each of the three nations investigated here has its own legal system reflecting its recent history and current political reality.The Republic of Korea has pursued a democratic form of government following a long period of military rule. Yet its very existence, along with peace in the region, depends on developments in its neighbour to the north, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Japan, for years the second largest economy in the world, still bears the imprint of its 20th century history. Unquestioning subservience to the Emperor has given way to a constitutional monarchy and a legal commitment to pacifism. Current headlines, particularly related to North Korean missiles fired over Japanese territory, highlight how heightened threats are causing Japanese leaders to rethink their stance on its military. Our final destination on this trip is Vietnam, a nation whose name was synonymous with conflict and war for several decades.
Vietnam has undergone an economic transformation similar to China, creating prosperity for millions, but (also like China) without altering its fundamental political power structures.What makes the dynamics of the so-called “Far East” (a Western-centric term) relevant for all of us is the potential for conflict and the risk of other nations being pulled into that conflict. First and foremost this means the United States, which for decades has had mutual defence treaties with both South Korea and Japan. The US still has thousands of troops stationed in the region under legal treaties which resulted from that conflict and these treaties are revisited periodically. A number of recent events at the time of course creation have made familiarity with the history and political dynamics of this region more important than ever. One event whose significance grows by the day is the competition for the resources of the South China Sea. China claims the entirety of this area as its own, a stance which is disputed by its neighbours. This dispute already triggered legal proceedings focused on the Law of the Sea and other international legal norms, a topic we cover in the section on Vietnam. By taking the course you should be able to make better sense of today’s headlines in what many fear will be an inevitable conflict over rights to natural resources embedded in this corner of the planet.
