The Grand Strategy of a Middling Power: A New Diplomatic History Approach

Event Description

Usually, "Grand Strategy" is the purview of the so-called Great Powers: large, powerful states with the wherewithal to fundamentally shape the institutional, diplomatic, military, and economic environment around them. But what about middle powers? Recent scholarly examinations of contemporary South Korean diplomacy have debated the issue, revolving around the question of whether autonomy counts when it is premised on security guarantees from a "Great Power." This presentation adopts a "New Diplomatic History" approach to the question by examining early modern Korean relations with Ming China (ca. 1400–1600). Rather than a realpolitik-centered analysis of diplomatic history, it focuses on the cultural strategies of Chosŏn Korea's engagement with Ming China. In particular, it addresses how Chosŏn Korea focused on slowly and gradually reshaping the hegemonic structures of its immediate diplomatic context. It points to political dynamics with long-term consequences that might be overlooked or discounted in traditional definitions of "Grand Strategy."

This event is on the record and open to the public.