Powerplay : origins of the U.S. alliance system in Asia /

CHA Victor D

Powerplay : origins of the U.S. alliance system in Asia / Victor D Cha. - 2009

Explains why the United States chose to implement a series of exclusive bilateral agreements in east and southeast Asia after the Second World War rather than the multilateral arrangement favoured in Europe. The powerplay of the title denotes an asymmetric alliance by which the U.S. could exert maximum influence over a smaller ally. The system contained the USSR and also constrained 'rogue allies' who might otherwise have begun conflicts for domestic reasons and in which America did not want to be involved. Present day security arrangements in the region reflect these policies made more than fifty years ago.


ASIA PACIFIC--REGIONAL SECURITY
UNITED STATES--FOREIGN POLICY--ASIA PACIFIC
UNITED STATES--BILATERAL RELATIONS