East Asian‐pacific security: An assessment

Abstract

The end of the Cold War dismantled the rigid framework within which relations among East Asian powers took place. This essay surveys the current security situation among East Asian countries and between them and the United States. It is argued that the fundamentals of American foreign policy in East Asia and the Pacific have not changed since the Cold War. Through a series of bilateral alliances, the United States is still the guarantor of peace and security in East Asia. Absent the Soviet threat, this situation is unsustainable in the long run. East Asian nations must share with the United States the initiative to create a multilateral security arrangement to guarantee their own peace and security. Four such security regimes are suggested here, all of which depend on the postures of China, which, absent a new security framework, might in the future replace American hegemony in the Asia‐Pacific area.