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Confrontation in the Pacific
| Article
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10555 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
Date : |
2 / 1986 |
3,281 Words |
| Author
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John F. Copper
John F. Copper is the Stanley J. Buckman Distinguished
Professor of International Studies at Rhodes College in
Memphis, Tennessee. |
Since the end of World War II, one of the constants in the interactions of the global powers has been that the United States, the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union have confronted each other is some fashion. For Asia this has been especially important: This confrontational relationship has been most active in the Pacific region and has constituted the most fundamental and strongest determinant of strategic/political relations in the area. Moreover, the configuration of this triangular confrontation has changed during this period several times. And it is still evolving. It will clearly affect Asia's future.
Why is Asia the center of power politics of a global style? Asia is the region of the world that has and continues to undergo the most rapid change and knows the greatest disparity in terms of culture, language, and religion. And with the Pacific region now occupying the center position in the world in terms of trade, economic growth, and technology, this is natural. It is the area of the world that matters most. It is also an area where the powers interact most directly.
To understand this better, we must look at the record.
Two Wars in Asia
The United States has been involved in only two expanded conflicts or wars since the end of World War II: in Korea and in Vietnam. In both cases, the United States confronted both the Soviet Union and China through proxies. The former was the first war of a truly limited nature that the United States had ever engaged in. The second ended in the first defeat for the United States in war
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