August 31, 2013 by Darius
During World War II, US General Douglas MacArthur famously vowed to return to the Philippines after being forced off the islands by the Japanese. He did indeed return, and the US continued to have a major military presence in the Philippines for the next 50 years. In 1992, the Senate of the Philippines voted to boot out the American soldiers and close the US bases. Fast forward 21 years: the US military is now being invited to return to the Philippines, albeit on a smaller scale, to counter the growing threat of China.
Under the proposed deal, more US forces will be able to stay longer in the Philippines as well as regain access to several large bases turned over to the Philippines in the 1990s, mostly notably the huge Subic Bay naval facility.
As China has expanded economically, it has begun claiming pretty much everything in the seas surrounding both the Chinese mainland and offshore islands like Taiwan. Not surprisingly, other nearby nations, like Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines aren’t thrilled about this. The Philippines in particular are locked in a dispute with China over the South China Sea. China claims nearly the entire thing, which is problematic for rather obvious reasons (see map).
The US, for its part, is looking to complete (or, in the eyes of some, meaningfully begin) a foreign policy “pivot” to East Asia to engage with/contain China. Unfortunately for President Obama’s initiative, the Middle East has been even more attention-demanding than usual. The US is still looking for ways to build a greater presence in East Asia. A new agreement with the Philippines seems like it will satisfy all sides (except China, but then again, that’s the point).
Not What You Might Think 