About this Book

Carl von Clausewitz taught that anyone who plans strategy before he has achieved a clear definition of policy goals puts d%the cart before the horse. It is equally true that it makes no sense for a country to try to develop its forces or plan operations without taking account of the unique characteristics that define and shape its potential adversaries and available allies. For these reasons, we at the Naval War College have placed special emphasis on understanding the Asia-Pacific region. The economic, political, and demographic dynamics of that area make clear its importance to achieving global U.S. objectives. At the same time, continued tensions related to the Korean Peninsula, issues between China and Taiwan and between India and Pakistan, as well as unrest within Indonesia underscore important threats to stability in the region. Its vast territory and expanses of ocean make the Asia-Pacific region fundamental a maritime theater and the U.S. Navy a central player in any military operations that defend the interests of the United States. The Asia-Pacific Forum, from which the papers that follow are taken, brought together a distinguished collection of scholars and policy practitioners to examine the political, economic, and military realities of the Asia-Pacific region in the context of the U.S. strategic tradition. They proved that familiar military thinking about some important questions might have become obsolete.