Past Its Prime? The Future of the U.S.-Japan Alliance
Abstract
Over the next two to three decades, Japan will present a paradox to the United States. Japan will transform and expand its security posture in broad ways long sought by the United States, but at the same time will increasingly desire to chart its own course in foreign policy. In terms of reliability as a security partner across a range of issues, Japan will tend to become more "Gaullist" than "Thatcherite." This paper examines factors that either increase or decrease the reliability of the Japanese as an alliance partner over the coming decades. The current closeness between the two partners is an illusion that highlights the crossing of strategic vectors, not the convergence of them. Because of that, the United States should pursue a two-pronged grand strategy of attempting to buttress the alliance with Japan while seeking alternative means to maintain forward presence and power projection basing in the East Asian littorals. (91 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 09, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA424287
Entities
People
- William E. Rapp
Organizations
- United States Army War College