On The Evolution Of U.s. Strategy In East Asia After The Cold War And Its Motivation

Since the end of the Cold War,East Asia has gotten away with the former bipolar pattern and the relations among East Asia countries have changed both in bilateral and multi-lateral levels. In East Asia,though there are regional conflicts, the development of bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation in various areas is the main stream, countries pay more attention on national interests and people's welfare rather than the astrict of ideology,and more cooperation and dialogue rather than confrontation and conflict.During the changing course of East Asia order, America has been always a key actor. America, as the only super power and with its unique relations with East Asia countries, is the main power influencing and shaping East Asia's regional pattern, and influencing the development of East Asia situation. And its East Asia strategy always has great influence towards East Asia's international relations. However, this strategy is changing along with international and regional situation rather than invariable. This evolvement is one of the main motivations for the transition of East Asia's international relations.The main study object of this paper is the adjustment of America's East Asia strategy and its driving factors. This paper will unfold in four parts, including the evolving course of America's East Asia strategy since the end of the Cold War, national interests for driving this strategy evolvement, global strategic background of this strategy evolvement and regional factors in this strategy evolvement. This study will clarify the intrinsic characteristics of this strategy evolvement and point out its future trends and China's answering strategy.The first chapter describes the evolving course of America's East Asia strategy since the end of the Cold War. This chapter will discuss this strategy from multi- aspects in accordance with the time order of different presidents'prefecture since the end of the Cold War,including George Herbert Walker Bush,William Clinton, George Walker Bush and Barack Obama. In each stage, this paper will describe the content and change of America's East Asia strategy from three aspects that is politics, economics and military security so as to present this evolvement clearly to readers. By this interlaced analysis, this chapter clarified the intrinsic characteristics of this strategy evolvement and its changes and steadiness, and provided a foundation for grasping the evolvement of this strategy.The second chapter analyzes America's main national interests behind the evolvement of its East Asia strategy since the end of the Cold War. One country's foreign strategy must obey and serve for its national interests, and its regional strategy shall obey and serve for its global strategy. According to this principle, this chapter will first card current concepts of national interests both in China and abroad, and then discusses those national interests of America in East Asia. America's interests in East Asia includes key national interests, political interests, economic interests, military and security interests, and cultural or value interests. The evolvement of its East Asia strategy is driven by these interests.The third chapter analyzes the global strategic background of the adjustment of America's East Asia strategy since the end of the Cold War. Since America's East Asia strategy is part of its global strategy, we should have a clear grasp of its global strategy before cognizing its East Asia strategy. Therefore, this chapter, according to the prefecture of the four presidents after the Cold War, systematically reviews America's global strategy of these four stages, that is"Beyond Containment"and"New World Order"strategy of George Herbert Walker Bush,"Engagement and Enlargement"strategy of William Clinton,"Preemptive Strategy"of George Walker Bush, and"Smart Power"strategy of Barack Obama. And then analyzes the thought origins of its global strategy.The fourth chapter analyzes regional factors for driving the evolvement of America's East Asia strategy since the end of the Cold War. America as the only superpower in the world, its influences towards East Asia has far exceeded the influence of East Asia to itself. We can say that the adjustment of America's East Asia strategy is an answer to the changes of the international relations of East Asia as well as a result driven by the changes of East Asia's regional situation. Therefore, this chapter will analyze the changes of East Asia's situation since the end of the Cold War for two levels, that is regional international system and country level, and influences of these changes towards the adjustment of America's East Asia strategy.The conclusion part summarizes the evolving characteristics of America's East Asia strategy, points out its possible trends, and advances some operable advices for China to answer the adjustment of America's East Asia strategy. This work considers that the evolvement of America's East Asia strategy serves for its national interests all the time. The adjustment of this strategy has impacted its relations with its traditional allies while these adjustments strengthened these relations with its allies again. The main object of these adjustments is to answer the rise of China. Therefore, China shall strengthen the study of the adjustment of America's East Asia strategy and resolve the pressure of these adjustments by multi-approaches, like increasing strengths, hiding our capacities and biding our time, and broad international cooperation.