Strategic Triangles

Abstract

America, preeminent since 1945, and hegemonic since 1989, manages its security order with alliances. But Chinese and Indian revival, Japanese assertiveness, and Russian revitalization have injected systemic fluidity. Not all “rising” powers challenge the order and America is strengthening ties with most. But dynamic processes carry uncertainty and Washington’s strategy has been to shore up the known against the unknown. Parallel to China’s rise has begun a relative decline of U.S. preponderance, given its GWOT-Iraq-Afghan commitments. This has sharpened relations with Tokyo, Delhi, Canberra, Seoul, Singapore, even Jakarta, and Hanoi, as opposed to Beijing. Security ties are being boosted to hedge against feared Chinese hostility. U.S.-Japan-China linkages are the sharp edge of these endeavors, given the sensitivity of bilateral relations within that triangle.⁴ U.S.-China-India, U.S.-Japan-India, and U.S.-Japan-Australia are other formulations. Secondary actors, pursuing own interests, are leveraging their assets to expand their autonomous space. A China-India-Russia triangle exemplifies Asia’s unpredictable security dynamic in the face of which the U.S.-Japan alliance has been the bedrock of American strategy.

Japan should amend the constitution redefining the Japanese Self Defense Forces (JSDF) as a National Defense Force, providing it with a clear mission of maintaining and restoring international peace, the core aspect of statecraft.¹

—Liberal Democratic Party

The multipolar world of the 21st century necessitates a plural security order that accommodates and acknowledges the growing strength and confidence of emerging economic and security players… in the emerging multipolar world, a plural security order alone can deal with the challenges of the new era.²

—A. B. Vajpayee

Today we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force, military force, in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflict…. We are seeing greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law…. We must seriously think about the architecture of global security.³

—Vladimir Putin