Description
The interdependence between Japan and the Arab Gulf states offers a compelling case for examining how asymmetrical interdependence generates power in the politics of interdependence. While IR literature on interdependence identified the asymmetry of interdependence as a source of power, discussions of how this asymmetry generates power and how power is exercised between these state actors remain limited. This paper therefore aims to examine the nexus between asymmetrical interdependence and power politics by conducting a qualitative case study of specific moments of their interstate conflict and cooperation, namely the 1973-74 oil shock and the 2000 Khafji shock. It asks: How did the asymmetry of interdependence generate power, and how was that power exercised among these state actors during the aforementioned events in the late twentieth century? It argues that the Arab Gulf states’ control over the key nodes on their oil export networks, on which Japan’s economy heavily depends, generated power which they used as a bargaining tool to attain strategic objectives, inviting enhanced cooperation and, at times, conflict between them. The paper contributes to the IR study of interdependence by offering empirical evidence on the power politics of interdependence in the often-overlooked context of Japan-Arab Gulf states relations.