From the Wall Street Journal:America's deterrent is shrinking in the region.
Officials from Japan and the United States meet tomorrow in Tokyo to discuss the future of the alliance under the Security Consultative Committee. The talks come at a crucial time, when the military balance of power in Asia is in flux. China's growing military capabilities and North Korea's missile and nuclear provocations should top the list of discussion topics at the SCC.
China is challenging access to the global commons through a broad, consciously directed array of military developments. China's military has moved beyond its focus on Taiwan and now possesses antisatellite weapons, advanced land attack ballistic missiles, new classes of submarines and surface ships and the emerging ballistic missile capability to hit ships at sea at least 1,000 miles from China's coasts.
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My Comment: This Wall Street Journal opinion piece was published last week, but it is still appropriate today.
Asia .... throughout its history .... possessed most of mankind's population, and was always a consistent force in economic, social, military, and scientific developments. It has also endured numerous wars and conflicts that not only undermined much of its progress, but was also the factor that destroyed much of the progress made by its previous generations.
Destroy .... rebuild. Destroy .... rebuild. This has always been the story of Asia and its billions of people.
The past 30 years has changed everything. When I visited Asia in the mid 1980s, I saw a people who rode bicycles and could only dream of being able to afford to buy an orange. Today .... they are building rockets to go into space and beyond, and are now lending us the money to buy an orange.
During this entire time, the American military presence was always there. I saw it in South Korea, the Philippines (Subic Bay), it was always present in Japan .... and even in China .... everyone knew that the Americans were only beyond the horizon.
Today is a different world. The Americans are leaving, and with them the delicate military balance that has kept Asia at peace since the 1980s. I always said to my Asia hosts that while Asia has a culture and history that is unmatched by anyone, its political/legal culture and institutions pale to what the U.S. has .... and this is their weakness.
When I came back from Asia last year, I was distressed to see the old animosities coming back. All the countries are now rebuilding their arm forces, and even Japan is now seriously moving forward with some even considering the development of nuclear weapons.
History has a bad habit of always repeating itself .... I can only hope that this will not be Asia's legacy.