An Research On America’ Strategy In East Asia After The Cold War

After the Cold War, the United States as the sole superpower has made anabsolute advantage in economics, politics, and military. At the same time, the patternof the East Asian region has also undergone profound changes. On the one hand, thefading of Soviet Union forces in East Asia leaded to a power vacuum, and originallyhidden contradictions gradually exposed. On the other hand, with the rapid economicgrowth, East Asia greatly enhanced the region’s position in international politics.In the analysis of U.S. strategy in East Asia, this paper focusing on "securitydilemma” introduces three mainstream theories of International Relations, offensiverealism, defensive realism, neo-liberalism. In the mind of offensive realist, security isa scarce commodity. In the pursuit of safety, the state as a rational actor has to useoffensive strategy. Once the inter-State contradicts intensifying, the war may breakout. There are some different views from Defense realism, including, security is notscarce but very abundant,"defense" is the best choice of national strategy.Neo-liberalists believe that the state is no longer the only actors in the internationalcommunity. Economic affairs’ position in international affairs is rising. Taking theabsolute return as the basic consideration, states can reduce transaction costs an duncertainty by the international regime, and thereby undermine the negative effects ofanarchy so as to promote cooperation between countries.According to these three theories of International Relations, U.S. strategiccommunity has put forward three strategic models: the neo-isolationism, selectiveintervention strategy, and cooperative security. It should be noted that they are notcorresponding. Fundamentally speaking, differences of these strategic models arederived from different perceptions of U.S. national interests. The neo-isolationistsbelieve that the core interest of US is its own security and economic prosperity. Sothey requested that U.S. should reduce its military spending and military forces,withdraw from NATO, and gradual weaken its original obligations to allies butpresenting one air force to ensure the air superiority in the Middle East alone. Bycontrast, the strategy of selective intervention takes a broader definition to nationalinterests that U.S. should intervene in the outside world, rather than retreating back tothe Western Hemisphere. Meanwhile, the outside intervention should have a choice,rather than blindly intervening in all regions. The supporters of cooperative securitystrategy believe that various problems in the international community would spread toall countries, so that U.S. should act with other countries through internationalmechanisms, achieving U.S. national security through international cooperation.After the Cold War, U.S. strategy in East Asia experienced the evolution fromthe administrations of George H W Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush toObama. Successive U.S. administrations keep consistent to maintain U.S. nationalinterests in East Asian. Because of facing different international and domesticenvironments, the East Asian strategy of U.S. governments made a certain degree ofchanges. What particularly worth mentioned is that U.S.is increasing economic and trade exchanges with East Asian countries. Currently, U.S. is still mired in the war onterrorism, the domestic economy has not fully recovered. The Obama administrationdoes not have enough energy to draft and imply the national strategy in East Asiasystematically. If continuing in office, president Obama with its administration willpropose a more complete strategy in East Asia.Sino-US relation is one of the most important bilateral relations in East Asia,which largely determine the future East Asia. China cannot ignore the reality thatUnited States would exist in East Asia for a long time. China does not have the abilityto challenge its hegemony, and U.S. cannot curb the rising of China. China shouldcorrectly understand the strength gap between these two, constantly enhance itscomprehensive strength, actively participate in a variety of multilateral cooperation,and enhance its influence in international affairs. It is the foreign policy that “A lowprofile and never taking the lead" should still adhere to.