Heg is strong now
Hong and Park 20 (Paul Hong Distinguished University Professor of Operations Management at the University of Toledo, USA. He is a graduate of Yonsei University, Korea with a BA in Economics. He also has an MBA and a MA from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. in Manufacturing Management and Engineering from the University of Toledo, USA. He is a certified management accountant (CMA). His primary teaching areas are: operations management, global sourcing and statistics (Undergraduate), supply chain management (MBA), new product development (EMBA), advanced statistics (Ph.D), and global supply chain management (post-doctoral Bridge program) and Young Won Park project associate professor at the Uni of Tokyo and the graduate school of economics, 2-8-2020, "Rising Asia and American Hegemony," SpringerLink, doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7635-1_1 accessed 3/21/2020) JEJP
Despite the prediction of America’s declining influence, the reality of American hegemony is as strong as ever. Multiple factors are accounted for this prospect. One of the main theme of this book is about the prospect of American hegemony in the context of rising Asian nations. Rising nations—Japan, Germany, Korea, China and India— have all benefitted by American hegemony. America, either by “deliberate” or “accidental” design has empowered the past (e.g., Japan and Germany) rivals or emerging “power” nations (e.g., Korea, China and India) to the extent it is enriched. The rise of Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, and India has much to do with the international order that facilitated trade flows among nations in general and opening US markets in particular. The vision of international liberal order after the Second World War was to strengthen enough nations to stand firm to the Cold War challenges. In the following chapters, liberal international order needs to consider its impact on expanding global trade, promoting economic growth and facilitating the rise of Asia. Figure 1.2 shows that majority of regional conflicts occurred after 1991–2001, are Fig. 1.2 Shifting regional conflicts. Red spot areas refer to conflict regions (1991–2016) and pink circles present potential conflict regions (2017–2030 and beyond) mostly in Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. These armed conflicts involved serious casualties ranging from 1,000s to 40,000s and more. Power shift is slowly moving from Europe and Middle East to Indo-Pacific Region. This does not minimize the strategic importance of Europe and Middle East. Rather, it examines the relative priority of Indo-Pacific Region (i.e., Northeast Asia, India and Southeast Asia), which is becoming greater than the regions that cover Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. This power shift reflects the reality of rising Asia in general and China in particular. It is also reflected of the relatively waning influence of Russia, in terms of relative decline in demographic strengths and economic growth factors despite its strong nuclear capabilities. Besides, the US is becoming energy independent and thus less dependent on the supply of oil from Middle East regions. Power shift is not merely demographic and political. It also reflects the huge stream of underlying economic reality that is changing rapidly. In Indo-Pacific Strategy Report: Preparedness, Partnerships and Promoting a Networked Region by the US Department of Defense (2019), the containment strategy is clearly specified with the US alignment network that connects Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. The broad strategic alliance also includes Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The foundational principle is to “continue to ensure that the rule of law – not coercion and force” and to “ensure that this region remains peaceful, prosperous, and secure for decades to come”. No other country has yet established such formidable regional alliances.