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East-West Center Special Reports East-West Center Special Reports
Shifting Terrain: The Domestic Politics of the U.S. Military Presence in Asia Shifting Terrain: The Domestic Politics of the U.S. Military Presence in Asia
boots of soldiers pictured marching
Format
paper
Pages
64
ISBN
978-0-86638-203-8

The United States has maintained military forces in the Asia Pacific region since the end of World War II and its alliances with key countries in the region continue today to be seen as critical to regional peace and stability. Academic and policy attention has focused on the shifting regional balance of power or the new sources of instability in the region, yet a parallel story has gone largely untold. Complex social and political changes in the countries that have hosted U.S. forces are changing the way governments in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines manage the American troops stationed in their countries.

As the U.S. government seeks to transform its global military presence, and as the process of realigning America's overseas military forces proceeds, Washington must consider these new domestic influences on governments that host U.S. forces. Broad public support in these societies for a shared security agenda will be the foundation for future alliance cooperation. But Washington, Tokyo, Seoul, and Manila must give greater attention to the local impacts of U.S. forces and develop policies that mitigate the pressures on local residents. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to be successful new initiatives for managing the presence of American forces in each of these societies will need to conform to domestic law and meet public expectations for government accountability. National governments in Asia's democracies must balance their national security goals with these new norms of democratic practice.

 

Additional titles in the East-West Center Special Reports series

Download PDF files:

Summary / Introduction

High resolution map of Asia

Alliance Management and Domestic Protest

The Continuing Echoes of Compromised Sovereignty

High resolution map of Okinawa and South Korea

National Policy with Local Impact

Social Change and New Citizen Voices

High resolution map of the Philippines

Asia's Citizens and America's Soldiers: Policy Intersections on the Ground

Looking Ahead

Endnotes / Selected Bibliography / Author Information
 

The United States has maintained military forces in the Asia Pacific region since the end of World War II and its alliances with key countries in the region continue today to be seen as critical to regional peace and stability. Academic and policy attention has focused on the shifting regional balance of power or the new sources of instability in the region, yet a parallel story has gone largely untold. Complex social and political changes in the countries that have hosted U.S. forces are changing the way governments in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines manage the American troops stationed in their countries.

As the U.S. government seeks to transform its global military presence, and as the process of realigning America's overseas military forces proceeds, Washington must consider these new domestic influences on governments that host U.S. forces. Broad public support in these societies for a shared security agenda will be the foundation for future alliance cooperation. But Washington, Tokyo, Seoul, and Manila must give greater attention to the local impacts of U.S. forces and develop policies that mitigate the pressures on local residents. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to be successful new initiatives for managing the presence of American forces in each of these societies will need to conform to domestic law and meet public expectations for government accountability. National governments in Asia's democracies must balance their national security goals with these new norms of democratic practice.

 

Additional titles in the East-West Center Special Reports series

Download PDF files:

Summary / Introduction

High resolution map of Asia

Alliance Management and Domestic Protest

The Continuing Echoes of Compromised Sovereignty

High resolution map of Okinawa and South Korea

National Policy with Local Impact

Social Change and New Citizen Voices

High resolution map of the Philippines

Asia's Citizens and America's Soldiers: Policy Intersections on the Ground

Looking Ahead

Endnotes / Selected Bibliography / Author Information