The window of Opportunity for the Paradox of Disputes Despite Interdependence by the Relational Theory of World Politics : A Predicate Analysis of the Relationship Between Japan and South Korea

Sammanfattning: This thesis examines the relationship between Japan and South Korea and the paradox of its disputes despite the economic interdependence with the relational theory of world politics by Qin (2018b). World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) complaints between the countries between the years 2016 and 2020 have been analyzed to study this. The method utilized is that of a predicate discourse analysis. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are employed within the analysis as it includes the extraction of the predicates from qualitative complaint documents but additionally, a quantitative table of the predicates is generated to provide information on the frequencies and case locations of the findings. Neither the theory nor the unit of relation has been widely examined by Western international relations (IR) scholars, which allows this study to lead way for future research on the further expansion of knowledge and utilization of the relational theory. Furthermore, it provides insight into the relational object space of disputes in the relationship between the economically interdependent Japan and South Korea. The theoretical concepts of relational identity, actors as relators, hierarchy, and cultural communities in the analysis explain the existence of the paradox of disputes despite interdependence.