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Why do we study the Pacific three? -- The United States : global leadership and strategy "troika" -- China : modernization, stability, and channels for policy-input -- Japan : "tilted middle way" and "informal mechanism" -- Changing dynamics of power politics in Asia Pacific -- U.S.-China-Japan triangle : friend or enemy?

"This book provides a comparative study of the strategies of great powers in the Asia-Pacific, namely, the United States, China and Japan. It examines the evolution of each power's strategic thinking and analyzes the three powers' respective foreign policies and internal debates in the policymaking process. It analyzes the three countries' conflict and cooperation from past to the present. It stresses the importance of the interactions between internal and external factors in the policymaking process, and emphasises the great significance of these interactions for international relations theory. In particular it highlights the role in the United States of strategic advisers in think tanks and government agencies, Japan's informal and balanced policy making process, and the impact in China of traditional culture, especially Confucianism, and the part played by Chinese think tanks"--

China rising : theoretical understanding and global response / Quansheng Zhao and Guoli Liu -- China's rise in historical perspective / Warren I. Cohen -- Exploring theoretical implications of the rise of China : a critique on mainstream IR perspectives / Yun-han Chu and Min-Hua Huang -- China's rise as a trading power / Guoli Liu -- U.S. response to the China challenge / Robert G. Sutter -- Japan's shifting strategy toward the rise of China / Mike M. Mochizuki -- Future imperfect : the European Union's encounter with China (and the United States) / William A. Callahan -- Beyond alliance? : China's strategic partnerships with Russia and India / Yong Deng -- Southeast Asian perspectives on the China challenge / Evelyn Goh -- Latin America and China's growing interest / He Li -- Unipolarity : implications for China, the US, and the world / Qingguo Jia -- Managing the challenge : power shift in U.S.-China relations / Quansheng Zhao

This piece centres on the vital role intellectuals and think tanks play in US foreign policymaking. Before examining empirical data and original developments, a middle-level theoretical framework is needed to link our data and grand theories in International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis. We focus on a 'strategic core force' troika in the US foreign policymaking system and the significant role it has played in policy transformation. It consists of three key elements—'policy architect', 'expert counsellor' and 'policy implementer'. This paper uses a case study from the Asia-Pacific, focusing on the shift of US strategy towards Japan. The post-Cold War period saw increasing uncertainty concerning Japan's role in US foreign policy and led to a critical examination and restructuring of East Asian policy. Although we focus on the 1990s, there are profound implications for current US policy towards East Asia. The policy shift in the 1990s laid the foundation for Obama's 2011 'pivot to Asia' strategy, especially as it relates to US security and military operations. It has become increasingly clear that Japan can provide concrete material support in the form of military and financial assistance and as such its importance for US East Asian policy cannot be overstated.