Agnieszka Batko was a Harry & Helen Gray/AGI Reconciliation Fellow in August and September 2017. She holds an MA in International Relations from Jagiellonian University (JU) and is currently pursuing her PhD degree in Political Science at JU. She also studied at Griffith University in Australia and University of Hull in the United Kingdom. Prior to coming to AGI, she was conducting research at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo.
Her research interests include international relations in East Asia, Japanese foreign policy, the role of non-state actors in international relations, and IR theory
While at AGI, she conducted research concerning the Japan-South Korea reconciliation process from two different perspectives: the role of the Japanese and Korean non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the American governmental and non-governmental institutions within this mechanism. The first part of the project focuses on the NGOs in Japan and South Korea undertaking projects aimed at overcoming historical issues between the two states. At the same time, it addresses the issue of the false presumption that the reconciliation between those countries is being conducted only by the governments. The latter part will concentrate on investigating whether the U.S., being the most important ally of both Japan and South Korea in the Northeast Asia region, can adopt a more pro-active role in the reconciliation process through governmental as well as non-governmental channels.
Securing the National Interests: The United States and Japanese-South Korean Reconciliation
The reconciliation process in Northeast Asia, notably between Japan and South Korea (Republic of Korea), is still far from being a success story. The governments of the two states have …
