Environmental Security and

New Middle Powers:

The Case of South Korea
Iain Watson & Chandra Lal Pandey

Raniel R. Billones
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 02 03
Introduction New Middle Powers
Environmental Security and
International Organizations

04 05 06
Conclusions
International Environmental South Korea as New and
Regimes and Climate Change Green Middle Power
Agreements
 INTRODUCTION

“KOREA is the first country to legislate a Framework Act on

Green Growth. The vision for green growth is now shared by
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), the United Nations (UN) and the rest of the world.”
(Lee, 2011)

President Lee’s global Korea initiatives have been challenged as to

their policy content and because these initiatives were directed
through various “Presidential Commissions,” which means sustained Lee Myung-bak
“green” policies that become the “norm” across domestic 이명박
institutions.

South Korea is currently involved both with green growth and in

helping to set the OECD-Development Assistance Committee
(DAC) aid effectiveness agenda.
 INTRODUCTION

South Korea was to become a “bridge

nation” between developed and
developing worlds, and a regional hub
Lee Myung-bak
between China and Japan. 이명박
02
Environmental
Security and
International
Organizations
Environmental Security and International
Organizations
Environmental Security
It is a term used by scholars and practitioners to posit
linkages between environmental conditions and
security interests.
-military protection of scarce resources
-threat to assumptions of territorial integrity and national
sovereignty

Climate Change
It is putting at risk the security of populations in terms
of health and water, as well as natural resource
scarcities.
e.g floods or desertifications, states are literally losing resources and territory.
economies, health and life expentacy of population
Environmental Security and International
Organizations
Power
- both coercively and consensually
- is also used to describe geography and military
capability (and ability to use capability)
- the resources and capabilities of a state.

Hegemonic stability theory

It is the supply distribution of power over that can help
explain the existence of international organizations
Environmental Security and International
Organizations
Middle Power
This are usually seen in IR to be restricted in their
options, to counter-balance through various
alliances, or to passively buffer or bandwagon the
larger states.
Cooperation
Cooperation between states in a post-hegemonic era can
also come from state demands for cooperation in the
form of international regimes.
Environmental Security and International
Organizations
Regime
a form of government or administration especially
to governmental or social system.

The function of the regime is not to preclude

further negotiations but to establish and
manage stable mutual expectations about
others’ patterns of behavior. (Lukes, 1979)
 NEW
MIDDLE
POWERS
 NEW MIDDLE POWERS
New middle powers have increasing financial and human resources for
attending to “low politics” issues whilst simultaneously reflecting
changing networks of power and public diplomacy which are challenging
the hierarchy of low and high politics.

Middle powers remain pivotal because they do affect regional security

dilemmas and can influence how great powers might choose to
transform the anarchical international system.

These are international system and may also represent a system

with a different form of “network” distributed power.
 MIDDLE POWERS
Determined by both their regional and global position

Getting cooperation and

interest in a specific issue
Green Growth agenda Act as Managers

1 2 3
act as non-threatening setting up new and
act to catalyze new agendas
bridge facilitators between appropriate institutions and
and new ideas
nations regulatory frameworks
Middle powers display foreign policy
behavior that stabilizes and legitimizes
the existing global order to
(1) embrace compromise positions in
international disputes and the (2)
tendency to embrace
“good international citizenship.”
He argued that middle powers demonstrate a propensity
to promote global cohesion rather than radical
change in the world.
-Eduard Jordaan
“Middle powers are developing beyond their
conflicted historic role as the lieutenants of the
great powers and the selective champions of peace
and justice, and entering creative high-impact
partnerships with powerful coalitions of non-state
actors.”
-Richard Matthew
Challenges the expectations of traditional IR approaches to the climate change debate

(1) new middle powers are challenging the distinctions

between traditional security high politics and low
politics.
e.g South Korea is all too aware of the myriad of
cyclical threats of North Korea. (economic
development and technology innovation, with
environmentalism)

(2) new middle power roles challenge the assumptions

of traditional IR realist and liberal approaches
concerning the behavior of new middle powers.
e.g South Korea as an example of an emerging
East Asian middle power in this role.
International Environmental
Regimes
and Climate Change
Agreements
 International Environmental Regimes
and Climate Change Agreements
Middle powers now have an impact on setting new global
agendas in their role as “bridge” nations.

Concept of Bridge Reinforce the existing climate change conferences and

Nations international system
agreements
Having the resources to A system which has allowed
mediate and new middle criticized from
create common interests powers such a proactive role realists (as irrelevant),
and consensus between or promoting a change or
developed and developing reform to the international from liberal rationalists (as not
nations system effective unless legitimate
institutions are enacted for sustained
cooperation), and

radicals (as being too much

based on narrow power interests and
not innovative enough)
 WATER POLICIES IMPLEMENTED

Kyoto Protocol, he period in which

Conference on the Human carbon reductions are to be complied with)
Environment was scheduled from 2008 to 2012 2010 UN’s
Cancun
Summit,
there were
1972 1988 1997 2011 calls by the
richer nations
to set up a
“green fund”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Durban conference, delegates were
to aid low-
Climate Change (IPCC), stating that already discussing the advantages and
human activities are more likely to be carbon
disadvantages of a number of following
responsible for climate change development
routes and options for the post-Kyoto
in the
era.
developing
world.
 South Korea as New and Green Middle Power

South Korea explicitly operate “me first” initiatives

as proactive middle powers not waiting for big
power decisions of defections, realizing this is a
chance to set the agenda before the inevitability of
other nations realizing the need to sit at the table.
 South Korea as New and Green Middle Power
According to President Roh Moo-Hyun in his
2003 inauguration speech,
“The Age of Northeast Asia is fast approaching. . . .
The opportunity has come for us to take off as the hub
of Northeast Asia."

Conservative President Lee

In 2009, the Korean Government made public the New
Asia Initiative with a view to strengthening ties with
ASEAN. Korea is the only country in the world to
join the ranks of advanced nations after being one of
the poorest nations in just the span of a generation
following the end of the War.
South Korea as New and Green Middle Power

“Low-carbon, green growth”

“nation’s new vision.”
“to make climate change compatible with economic development”

Vision of a Global Korea (rather than “local Korea”)

-stability of the international system hinges on the balance of power among major powers and/or
President whether these states can build cooperative relations.
Lee -“contributing to the world”

2010 G20 Seoul Summit

facilitate consensus building and revitalize cooperation

SK Foreign Policy
play a larger role in the international institutions and networks that will be
essential to global governance
 South Korea’s 2010 Low Carbon Law has aimed to promote the
development of the national economy

01 02
SAMSUNG “Republic of Chaebol”

The South Korean company Samsung Major domestic issues

is to invest 5.4 trillion Korean won in
green research
regarding continuing elite-led
1 million green homes and energy Conservative support for
efficiency upgrades for a million more Chaebols whilst under the
including energy conservation
banner of neoliberalism.
improvements in villages and schools,
with the installation of LED lighting in
public facilities.
CONCLUSIONS

(1) South Korea aims to recalibrate, as bridge,

the relationship between the developed and
developing world.

(2) Traditional national security is based on

protection from military threats, and build-up of
both offensive and defensive capabilities.

(3) New middle states such as South Korea are

emphasizing legal integrity rather than
environmental and climate change debates.
 THANKS!
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