EAST ASIAN SECURITY COMMITMENTS

Existing East Asian defense commitments were established at a time when America's allies (in reality, security clients) were poor nations that would have been hard-pressed to defend themselves against any capable adversary and at a time when that region appeared to be a crucial theater in the overall struggle against international communism. That context has changed beyond recognition in the 21st century. In the East Asian Security Commitments chapter of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers, Ted Galen Carpenter explains why United States Policymakers should:
- Terminate, within three years, all defense treaties with South Korea and the Philippines, and withdraw all American military units from those countries by that deadline;
- Rescind, within three years, the informal commitment to defend Taiwan;
- Continue the policy of being willing to sell Taiwan conventional weapon systems;
- Withdraw all ground forces from Japan within two years;
- Reassess whether to continue stationing any air and naval units in Japan; and
- Immediately commence discussions with Japan about replacing the U.S.-Japan security treaty with a more informal cooperative security arrangement.

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