American Grand Strategy and East Asian Security in the Twenty-First Century

Description

East Asia is richer, more integrated and more stable than ever before, whilst East Asian defense spending is now roughly half of what it was in 1990 and shows no sign of increasing. There is no evidence of any Asian arms race. All countries in the region are seeking diplomatic, not military solutions with each other. Yet this East Asia reality still runs counter to a largely Western narrative that views China's rise as a threat and the region as increasingly unstable. In this important book, David C. Kang argues that American grand strategy should emphasize diplomatic and economic relations with the region, rather than military-first policies. Using longitudinal and comparative data, statistical analysis, and intensive research in selected East Asian countries, he suggests that East Asia is in sync with the American desire to share burdens and that the region may in fact be more stable than popularly believed. Cover Half-title Title page Copyright information Dedication Table of contents List of figures List of tables Acknowledgments 1 Comprehensive East Asian Security So What? Costly Signals and Cheap Talk Why Countries Do Not Send Costly Signals American Policy to East Asia 2 The Size of the Fight in the Dog: Costly Signals in International Bargaining Bargaining Theory and Costly Signals Military Expenditures as Costly Signals When Countries Don’t Send Costly Signals Too Small to Balance and Costly Signals Alliances and Costly Signals Conclusion: Most Countries Are “Playing Poker with the Cards Exposed” 3 No Arms Race: Military Expenditures in East Asia and Latin America No Arms Races in East Asia Economic Growth and Military Expenditures Naval Forces as Costly Signals Coast Guards Are Not Navies Maritime Disputes in East Asia Conclusion 4 North Korea: Going Down Swinging Military Costly Signals Economic and Diplomatic Costly Signals No Capitulation or Free Ride on Chinese Support Conclusion: North Korea as a Case of Costly Signals 5 South Korea: An Independent Grand Strategy No Korean Costly Signals to China The Historical Roots of Korea’s Relations with Its Neighbors Contemporary Korea’s Foreign Policy Choices Conclusion 6 The Philippines: Cheap Talk About a Free Ride Low Philippine Military Expenditures The U.S.–RP Mutual Defense Treaty – No Free Ride Domestic Politics Restrains Philippine Foreign Policy Internal Insurgency and Border Issues Continue to Dominate Maritime Disputes with China Conclusion: No External Balancing in the Philippines 7 Vietnam: Who’s Chasing Whom in Vietnam–U.S. Relations Vietnamese Military Priorities: No Costly Signals Vietnam’s Surprising Relations with China in Premodern Times High-Level Exchanges by Both Vietnam and America Case Study: Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s Visit to the United States Conclusion 8 Comprehensive Security in Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia Japan Is Not a Leader Australia Between China and the U.S. Singapore and Indonesia Conclusion 9 Powerful Patron: America’s Changing Relations with East Asia American Allies and Nonallies The Social and Economic Dimensions of U.S. Grand Strategy The Changing Nature of American Hegemony in Asia Conclusion 10 A Minimalist American Grand Strategy Toward Asia Liberal Hegemony: A Mainstream American View A Minimalist American Policy for East Asia Index