Asia Pacific

China's Military Potential Dr Larry M Wortzel Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This monograph provides an appraisal of the ability of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to build a credible military force in the 21st century. The author, Colonel Larry M. Wortzel, examines a complicated set of factors, which when taken together, equates to potential military power in China’s case."

New Century, Old Thinking: The Dangers of the Perceptual Gap in U.S.-China Relations COL Susan M Puska Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "American angst over “China” and how to deal with it has spurred a seemingly endless cycle of U.S. policy debates. Each disagreement or new revelation, such as the recent allegation that the Chinese tried to buy influence through illegal funding to U.S. elections,1 feeds another round of charges that U.S. leaders are either too “soft” or too “hard” on China. These charges are usually punctuated by warnings that these actions could lead to dire consequences for the United States in the future."

"Enhancing" the Australian-U.S. Defense Relationship: A Guide to U.S. Policy Dr Thomas-Durell Young Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Out from the shadow of the Cold War, most Pacific nations are reassessing their defense postures. Australia is no exception. Among the closest of U.S. allies, Australia shares a number of concerns about potential change in the western Pacific balance. It is thus natural that the two countries look to their own cooperative defense relationship for hedges against an uncertain future. That is the genesis of the current study by Dr. Thomas-Durrell Young. Based on his extensive knowledge of Australian security affairs and recent in-country field work, he examines prospects for enhancing existing bilateral security ties. He does so with a sense for the feasible, offering both guiding principles and practicable approaches that take careful account of the interests of both nations."

Traditional Military Thinking and the Defensive Strategy of China LTG Li Jijun, Dr Earl H Tilford Jr Letort Paper by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Lieutenant General Li Jijun is the Vice President of the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Science. The Academy is the principal military institution for developing military doctrine and strategic theory in the People's Republic of China. Established in 1958 on the northwestern side of Beijing, the Academy has a mostly military staff of about 500 full-time researchers, engineers, and specialists, some of whom are scholars of national repute and tutors of doctoral candidates."

The Dynamics of Russian Weapon Sales to China Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Russia has recently sold or transferred many military weapons or technologies to China. Russian state policy has also officially joined with China in a relationship described as a strategic cooperative partnership. Some Russian diplomats also say that there is virtually complete identity with China on all issues of Asian and global security. Dr. Stephen Blank examines this relationship carefully for what it reveals about both states' international security policies."

Tacit Acceptance and Watchful Eyes: Beijing's Views about the U.S.-ROK Alliance Dr Fei-Ling Wang Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "To understand China's foreign policy in the 1990s and the true attitude of Beijing towards the military presence of the United States in Northeast Asia, one must examine China's perception of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK). Public statements aside, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has shifted its traditional position and has tacitly accepted, even welcomed, the continuation of the U.S.-ROK alliance. Beijing views the institutionalized presence of the Americans in Northeast Asia as a stabilizing force, serving China's interest of maintaining the favorable status quo in the region. However, continued acceptance is not guaranteed; developments in the Sino-American relationship and the course of reunification of the Korean Peninsula will affect attitudes in the future."

Managing a Changing Relationship: China's Japan Policy in the 1990s Prof Robert S Ross Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Many of the same factors that affect Sino-American relations and Sino-Russian relations are integral to the relationship between Beijing and Tokyo. Among these are Chinese treatment of dissidents, the Taiwan issue, economic investment, and Japanese military policy and strategy. Today Japanese and Chinese interests compete in many areas, requiring tolerance, patience and diplomatic sophistication to keep competition from evolving into conflict. In the future, these challenges are likely to grow in complexity."

What's with the Relationship between America's Army and China's PLA? COL Jer Donald Get Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In May 1995, Secretary of Defense William J. Perry asked the Army to examine various ways to re-establish the army-to-army ties which existed between the U.S. Army and Beijing's People's Liberation Army (PLA) prior to the 1980s. U.S. President George Bush ordered a curb in military-to-military ties following the Tiananmen incident in 1989, and, since then, efforts at rapprochement between the two armies have been faltering and uneven."

China's Quest for Security in the Post-Cold War World Dr Samuel S Kim Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "China's security behavior, riddled with contradictions and paradoxes, seemed made to order for challenging scholars and policymakers concerned about the shape of things to come in post-Cold War international life. With the progressive removal of the Soviet threat from China's expansive security parameters from Southeast Asia, through South Asia and Central Asia, to Northeast Asia, coupled with the growing engagement in international economic and security institutions, came perhaps the most benign external strategic environment and the greatest international interdependence that China has ever enjoyed in its checkered international relations. Despite the deterioration of Sino-American relations in the past 2 years, most Chinese strategic analysts do not believe the United States poses a clear and present military threat..."