America's Stake in the Pacific

Countries of the Western Pacific allied with the United States--Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan--are seriously threatened by Soviet expansion and Sino-Soviet rivalry. At present when the United States military resources are stretched thin, responsibility for defense of these prosperous free states should be assumed by the states themselves, and Japan especially must play a far greater strategic role in maritime defense. An organic Pacific security community that would be buttressed by its own economic dynamism should be created. Such a Pacific security community is impossible without the presence of the United States as an active partner. It can therefore be possible only when the United States once more is morally committed and militarily able to respond to the ominous growth of Soviet military power. Included are the texts of the Shanghai Communique, February 27, 1972; the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, the United States and the People's Republic of China, January 1, 1979; and the Taiwan Relations Act, April 10, 1979. (BZ)