A Decade On: EDCA and the Philippines-US Alliance (original) (raw)

"The 21st Century Philippine-U.S. Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA): The Philippines' Policy in Facilitating the Obama Administration's Strategic Pivot to Asia"

The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, 2014

The article examines the reasons behind the Aquino Administration’s instantaneous support for the Obama Administration’s pivot to Asia as the Philippines negotiated and signed a framework agreement on enhanced defense cooperation with the U.S. This outright backing stems from President Aquino’s determination to counter China’s expansionism in the South China Sea. The 2012 Scarborough Shoal stand-off between the Philippines and China has validated the immediacy of this security arrangement which jibes with the U.S. strategic policy. In conclusion, the article contends that a small power like the Philippines--- when confronted by an emergent and potentially expansionist power—is not necessarily helpless since it has foreign policy choices, as well as the power to chart its own destiny.

Alliance, Partnerships, And The Philippines' National Security Strategy

Eurasia Review, 2018

At eve of the 2018 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, European Council President Donald Tusk, in response to the criticisms from President Trump, reminded Washington to “appreciate your allies, after all you don’t have that many.” Tusk also called on Europe “spend more on your [defense], because everyone respects an ally that is well-prepared and equipped.” The same message is also true for the members of a network of alliances and partnerships—particularly for relatively smaller and weaker states, as well as their leaders—in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, a region facing immense foreign policy challenges against the backdrop of major powers competing for geopolitical preeminence. https://www.eurasiareview.com/03122018-alliance-partnerships-and-the-philippines-national-security-strategy-analysis/