Asian Values or Asian Ideology? The Role of Culture in the International Relations of East Asia

Abstract

This essay explores the question of "Asian values" within the context of the changing international relations of post—Cold War East Asia. It begins by examining the advantages and drawbacks of using culture to understand international relations, arguing for the importance of a positivist methodology over a hermeneutic approach. It concludes that the idea of "Asian values" is based on the latter, and reflects more an ideology of certain Asian leaders than the cultural disposition of Asian peoples.