Mô tả
Ang Cheng Guan, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, SingaporeHe is the Head of Studies at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore"...With the South China Sea dispute, the question to ask is whether it is possible to achieve at the diplomatic table that which cannot be obtained on the battlefield. The economic crisis which started in July 1997 has forced many Southeast Asian countries to curtail their defence spending, which had been growing steadily since 1985. China, by contrast, did not have to make drastic defence cuts. While the ASEAN countries may not really want a new massive involvement from Washington, a strong US naval presence in the background is definitely a useful stopgap measure until ASEAN can get its full act together.."
