Addressing Interstate Ethnic Tensions In the Pacific Through Cooperative Sea Lane Strategy

Abstract

The fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and the ultimate collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) ushered in a new era in geopolitics. The Cold War left an indelible mark on the Asian geopolitical environment, including a bevy of bilateral, hub-and-spoke arrangements. As Asian expert and political economist Bruce Overholt instructs, as a new era emerges, institutions and mindsets still linger from the previous era, constraining progress and outliving their utility. Indeed, the Cold-War institutions have proven to be ill-suited for the modern Asian geopolitical environment. However, emerging Asian multilateralism provides hope for the future. Today, the Asia-Pacific requires continued political stability and secure, open Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs) for continued economic development and therefore, the United States must deter conflict and reassure allies within a complex, geopolitical environment rife with ethnic mistrust and successfully welcome a rising but fragile, economic and military power-China.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2015
Accession Number
AD1012813

Entities

People

  • Zachary C. Gray

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asia
  • Cold War
  • East China Sea
  • Economic Development
  • Economic Systems
  • Energy Security
  • Environment
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • North Korea
  • Security
  • South Korea
  • Territorial Disputes
  • Treaties
  • United States

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Strategic Security Studies