Examining realist and liberalist explanations of Australia and the Republic of Korea Foreign Policy from 2004-2024

This paper examines the impact of the PRC’s rise to a great power in the region on the foreign policies of middle power democracies, focusing on Australia and the Republic of Korea (ROK). The study addresses the research question: Which theory best explains recent changes in the foreign policies of Australia and the ROK towards the PRC? Using congruence analysis, the explanatory power of structural realism, ideational liberalism, and commercial liberalism was tested against quantitative and qualitative data (Blatter & Haverland, 2014). The findings reveal that ideational liberalism offers the most explanatory leverage for these cases. Congruence was moderate for structural realism, indicating some explanatory leverage, while congruence with commercial liberalism was lacking. These findings have implications for scholars interested in theory-testing, as the results demonstrate that domestic preferences have significant influence on foreign policy and recommends future research on these factors in foreign policy analysis. Key words: International Relations, China, Australia, South Korea, Balancing