U.S. Army War College >> Strategic Studies Institute >> Publications >> Details

Asia-Pacific: A Strategic Assessment

Authored by Dr. David Lai.

Brief Synopsis

View the Executive Summary

Dr. David Lai provides a timely assessment of the geostrategic significance of Asia-Pacific. His monograph is also a thought-provoking analysis of the U.S. strategic shift toward the region and its implications. Dr. Lai judiciously offers the following key points. First, Asia-Pacific, which covers China, Northeast Asia, and Southeast Asia, is a region with complex currents. On the one hand, there is an unabated region-wide drive for economic development that has been pushing Asia-Pacific forward for decades. On the other, this region is troubled with, aside from many other conflicts, unsettled maritime disputes that have the potential to trigger wars between and among Asia-Pacific nations. Second, on top of these mixed currents, China and the United States compete intensely over a wide range of vital interests in this region. For better or for worse, the U.S.-China relationship is becoming a defining factor in the relations among the Asia-Pacific nations. Third, the U.S. strategic shift toward Asia-Pacific is, as President Obama puts it, not a choice but a necessity. Although conflicts elsewhere, especially the ones in the Middle East, continue to draw U.S. attention and consume U.S. foreign policy resources, the United States is turning its focus toward China and Asia-Pacific. Fourth, in the mid-2000s, the United States and China made an unprecedented strategic goodwill exchange and agreed to blaze a new path out of the tragedy that often attends great power transition. Fifth, at this time of U.S. strategic reorientation and military rebalancing toward Asia-Pacific, the most dangerous consideration is that Asia-Pacific nations having disputes with China can misread U.S. strategic intentions and overplay the “U.S. card” to pursue their territorial interests and challenge China. Finally, territorial dispute is becoming an urgent issue in the Asia-Pacific.

You may also be interested in the following titles:

• 
  Strategic Landscape, 2050: Preparing the U.S. Military for New Era Dynamics

• 
  The Clash of the Trinities: A New Theoretical Analysis of the General Nature of War

• 
  Building Partner Capacity in Africa: Keys to Success

• 
  Rotational Deployments vs. Forward Stationing: How Can the Army Achieve Assurance and Deterrence Eff...

• 
  What Should the U.S. Army Learn From History? Recovery From a Strategy Deficit

• 
  The Army War College Review Vol. 3, No. 1

• 
  Ends, Means, Ideology, and Pride: Why the Axis Lost and What We Can Learn from Its Defeat

• 
  U.S. Landpower in the South China Sea

Survey: Asia-Pacific: A Strategic Assessment

1. How would you rate the writing and overall quality? (5 best - 1 Worst)

12345

N/A

2. Is the content relevant for influencing present and future debates?

YesNoNo Opinion

Your Comments (No URLs Allowed):

If you'd like a reply to your comments, provide your email:
(optional)

Also by the Author/Editor:

U.S.-China Competition: Asia-Pacific Land Force Implications A U.S. Army War College Integrated Research Project in Support of U.S. Army Pacific Command and Headquarters, Department of the Army, Directorate of Strategy and Policy (HQDA G-35)
The Chinese People's Liberation Army in 2025
Assessing the People's Liberation Army in the Hu Jintao Era
Learning by Doing: The PLA Trains at Home and Abroad
The United States and China in Power Transition
Chinese Lessons from Other Peoples' Wars
The PLA at Home and Abroad: Assessing the Operational Capabilities of China's Military
Beyond the Strait: PLA Missions other than Taiwan

View other pubs in the following categories:

Asia Pacific
Military Strategy and Policy
China
National Security Strategy