Abstract
Since the election of Donald Trump, there are (even more) fears about the level of commitment of the US to its Asian partners; made more evident by Shinzo Abe being as the first world leader to visit Trump after his election, provocations of and by North Korea, and the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Given these oscillating policies and approaches, how should or can the US’s engagement in East Asia be evaluated? The argument here is that the issues in the Asia-Pacific should not be understood simply as an issue of Trump’s election or as an evaluation of the Obama administration. But, rather that Trump’s inheritance in Asia is a long-term pattern ineffectual political leadership by the US, since the end of the Cold War, which exacerbates the regional security dilemma. This paper makes this argument by identifying leadership as an essential component in the provision of stability and security. Yet, it is in an under-recognised issue in understanding the nature and success of alliances, deterrence, and their interconnection with multilateral institutions.
Panel: Security and Deterrence in Asia
Cite this presentation
@inproceedings{eiss-2018-consistent-inconsistency-the-unintended-consequences-of-the-us-spoiling-a-region,
author = {Catherine Jones},
title = {Consistent Inconsistency: The Unintended Consequences of the US ‘Spoiling’ a Region?},
booktitle = {European Security Studies Conference 2018},
year = {2018},
url = {https://eiss-europa.com/papers/2018-consistent-inconsistency-the-unintended-consequences-of-the-us-spoiling-a-region.html}
}