Book contents
- Charting America’s Cold War Waters in East Asia
- Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations
- Charting America’s Cold War Waters in East Asia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures, Tables, and Maps
- Abbreviations
- Conventions
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Finding a Local Partner in Post-war Maritime East Asia
- 2 The Creation of a Mainland-Based Forward Strategy
- 3 Vying for Top Dog: The Navy–Army Struggle in Maritime East Asia
- 4 Termination of the Mainland-Based Forward Strategy
- 5 The 1950 Crises and America’s Changing Posture of Defence
- 6 The Making of a New Maritime Strategy
- 7 The International Law of the Sea and America’s Unreliable Partners
- 8 America’s Strange Bedfellows in the International Arena
- 9 Fishing for Protein in Cold War East Asia
- 10 Jostling for Position: Black Gold, Natural Resource Exploration, and Shifting Political Contours
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
1 - Finding a Local Partner in Post-war Maritime East Asia
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 May 2024
- Charting America’s Cold War Waters in East Asia
- Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations
- Charting America’s Cold War Waters in East Asia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures, Tables, and Maps
- Abbreviations
- Conventions
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Finding a Local Partner in Post-war Maritime East Asia
- 2 The Creation of a Mainland-Based Forward Strategy
- 3 Vying for Top Dog: The Navy–Army Struggle in Maritime East Asia
- 4 Termination of the Mainland-Based Forward Strategy
- 5 The 1950 Crises and America’s Changing Posture of Defence
- 6 The Making of a New Maritime Strategy
- 7 The International Law of the Sea and America’s Unreliable Partners
- 8 America’s Strange Bedfellows in the International Arena
- 9 Fishing for Protein in Cold War East Asia
- 10 Jostling for Position: Black Gold, Natural Resource Exploration, and Shifting Political Contours
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The collapse of the Japanese Empire in the aftermath of World War II left a power vacuum in maritime East Asia. The United States recognised this opportunity to shape the emerging Cold War and the geopolitical landscape of the western Pacific rim. Despite the lack of consensus among decision-makers in Washington, on-site naval commanders could effectively influence the US strategy in the region. The US Navy selected Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist China as a local partner to assume responsibility for guarding the western Pacific rim. This decision was based not only on Chiang’s good relationship with the US Navy, which allowed it to enter China’s territorial waters and ports, but also on the belief that a pro-US Chinese navy could help secure America’s naval dominance in the region. With US military and financial support, Chiang successfully rebuilt a modern Nationalist navy. However, the ongoing power struggle between the Nationalists and the Communists made the situation unpredictable in maritime East Asia.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Charting America's Cold War Waters in East AsiaSovereignty, Local Interests, and International Security, pp. 18 - 50Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024