US Security Policy in the Asia Pacific: Preparing the Next Decade

For US foreign policy, the importance of the Asia-Pacific cannot be over stated; the value of regional trade, the need to preserve allied-nation sovereignty and a perceived containment policy towards China’s growth mean that the eyes of US observers are, more than ever before, trained on the Asia Pacific. The Obama administration has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to the region despite economic crises existing domestically. With such value placed on the region this paper will explore how US security policy can most effectively insure its interests over the next decade. It assesses the changing context with consideration for the challenge of new super powers and the contemporary relevance of ongoing disputes. The paper then identifies areas for which new investment could take place and determines the risks and potential benefits of any such developments. It makes specific considerations for bilateral relations between the most significant regional players in the security theatre: China, Japan, the Koreas and the collective ASEAN members and explores likely policy directions for the near term future. It then concludes that, based on the assessments made, the continued move towards multilateral approaches stands the best chance of limiting regional conflict. It determines that while a containment policy to diminish Chinese presence is viable for the period considered, there remains considerable doubt over long-term practicality. As such, the US negotiating position with China is possibly at its strongest now and, if so, any moves at this time towards regional unity can best secure US interests for the future. The paper sets out that containment should not be viewed as a sustainable way of stemming China’s challenge to US global presence; instead US security policy in the Asia Pacific would be most effective through multilateral cooperation which can be achieved through a careful balance of defensive military projection power and a greater capacity for humanitarian assistance.