Passing the buck in the Asia Pacific.

Recently, Japan and the US announced 'stepped-up' security cooperation. The security cooperation that is solely aimed at China is premised on 'a vision of a modernised alliance postured to prevail in a new era of strategic competition', as per the joint statement of defence and foreign ministers of both countries. The US, as a part of its 'buck-passing' strategy, appears to be grooming Japan to contend with its global rival China, just as it made Ukraine to pit against its regional rival Russia. Such a development has ensued tensions in a relatively peaceful region which may have global consequences.

John Mearsheimer, an American political scientist, in his book, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, gives the concept of buck-passing and buck-catcher. This revolves around the idea that an established hegemon may choose not to directly confront a rising hegemon, it rather 'buck-passes' (prepares) some other state to take on the latter; thus the 'prepared' state becomes the 'buck-catcher'.

Even in the presence of deep security and geopolitical fissures, the Asia Pacific has not witnessed an open conflict since the Korean armistice in 1953. However, the long haul of peace appears to be dwindling in rather a fashionable manner. As earlier, in December, Japan, once known to be a pacifist since World War 2, had exhibited a change of mind by announcing a staggering $320 billion plan to enhance its military capacity and to buy missiles capable of striking China. The following measures have been complemented by a recent defence pact between a key US ally Britain and Japan, which allows both countries to deploy their forces on each other's territories.

By welcoming such steps, in a meeting last week with the Japanese Prime Minister, US president Biden remarked that the US is 'building on Japan's historic increase in defence spending and new national security strategy', indicating a conspicuous inclination of the US to 'buck-pass' Japan.

For the past several decades, Japan's foreign policy swayed between the notions of entrapment and abandonment. Where the Japanese feared entrapment in some US conflicts as its ally while remaining on their toes fearing abandonment by 'the superpower' US, in case of not meeting its expectations. Despite cautiously walking on such a thin rope for a long time, in 2023, Japan seemed to be 'entrapped' in the US geopolitical game.

Just as it was...