U.S. Alliance System: The Old Order in a New Era （ Sun Ru）
About the author:
Sun Ru is director, Fellow and doctoral supervisor of the Center for Global Security Governance at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) .
Selected Excerpt from the Introduction:
The U.S. alliance system is a significant phenomenon in contemporary international relations. After the conclusion of World War II, the United States established a series of multilateral and bilateral alliances, incorporating them into the strategic track of its competition against the Soviet Union. Even after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the U.S. alliance system did not collapse. The Trump administration regarded China as the "top competitor" and a "revisionist country", conducting all-round suppression against China. The Biden administration has perpetuated the Trump administration's policy towards China, relying on alliances to engage in competition with China, and the role of the U.S. alliance has drawn attention.
The United States possesses a large number of alliances, each with its own historical origin, geographical scope, cooperation emphasis, and conflicts. Nevertheless, they are all strategically steered by the United States and exhibit interconnections. The United States' armed intervention in Korea generated a ripple effect, giving rise to the military integration construction of NATO. When the United States escalated the Vietnam War, European allies were concerned that the United States would reduce its investment in Europe and weaken NATO's deterrence. Allies in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East participated in the Gulf War, peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia, peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, and post-war reconstruction, leading to an increase in horizontal connections. Allies in the Asia-Pacific region carried out trilateral and quadrilateral security cooperation, strengthening the interconnection of bilateral alliances within the region. When the leaders of the United States and North Korea held their first summit in Singapore, then U.S. President Trump announced the suspension of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea. Although this measure was targeted at the U.S.-South Korea alliance, its influence spread to Europe, where small and medium-sized allies in Eastern Europe were worried that the United States might reach similar deals with Russia, sacrificing the interests of its allies. The United States pushed NATO to increase its investment in the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in an increase in cross-regional horizontal security cooperation among allies in Europe and Asia. In the context of the United States' reorganization of its alliance system, it is necessary to go beyond individual alliances and regional alliance levels and comprehensively grasp the role of the U.S. alliance system.
Since the end of the Cold War, the balance of power among major countries has undergone new changes, and their strategies have seen new adjustments. The order in the Asia-Pacific region and the global order are facing transformation. China's peaceful development is strong, and it actively participates in and leads global governance, with its regional and international influence constantly rising. Under the pretext of maintaining a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and a "rules-based international order", the United States has mobilized its allies to obstruct China's shaping of the international order, and the competition between China and the United States over the international order has intensified. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, people can't help but worry about the future of the post-war international order. The numerous alliances of the United States form an international system that has an impact on the international order. Studying the US alliance system and its role in the international order is extremely necessary for maintaining international peace and security and understanding the development and evolution of the post-war international order.
The core members of the US alliance system are Western countries, namely the NATO member states along with the Asia-Pacific allies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, totaling around 40 countries. These countries rank among the world's leading economies, technologies and militaries, and their influence penetrates every corner of the world. The "small circle" group formed by the US and these countries has become the pillar of the "liberal international order".
AS the changes in the world, the times and history are unfolding in an unprecedented way, the world once again stands at a crossroads in history. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been dragging on, international supply chains, food, energy and inflation crises have spread, the global governance deficit has intensified, and the demand for major country cooperation has risen. However, as the beneficiary of the international order, the United States has spared no effort in suppressing China and resisting the changes in the international power balance brought about by China's rise. In October 2022, the Biden administration of the United States released the National Security Strategy report, bluntly stating that "the post-Cold War era has completely ended" and "the world is at a turning point". The report listed China's reshaping of the international order as the main challenge facing the United States and emphasized that the United States will integrate resources for major country competition and strengthen the international alliance of its allies and partners. In the era of major country competition, relying on alliances has become the strategic choice of the United States.
During World War I, the United States first stepped onto the world stage and proposed to abandon the "old order" and establish a new order centered on the League of Nations. The alliance was precisely the international "old order" criticized by the United States. US President Woodrow Wilson believed that the alliance was the cause of World War I, and that forming alliances led to "power struggles among nations", and the traditional balance of power brought about "organized confrontation" rather than "organized common peace". After World War II, the United States built an alliance system to deal with the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the new round of major power competition, the United States uses the alliance system to deal with major power competition, intensifying major power confrontation. It is necessary to abandon the alliance system, this old order.
This book studies the formation and development of the US alliance system and its role in the international order, aiming to enhance the overall understanding of the US alliance system and the post-war international order. It seeks to better promote the evolution of the international order towards fairness and rationality within the broad historical perspective and the context of major global changes. The book focuses on outlining the overall picture of the US alliance system, analyzing the driving forces behind its construction and maintenance, and evaluating its role in the international order game.