The President is gearing up for an important visit to East Asia next week, and by way of preparation, Lee Kuan Yew stopped by to chat about his neighborhood. In the process, Mr. Lee passed along some sage advice to the President, advice that obviously carries with it significant implications for the Navy.
"If you do not hold your ground in the Pacific, you cannot be a world leader."
What does this mean? It means that if we want influence in the region, we cannot cede--nor can we be seen to be ceding--influence. It means that we must continue to look at regional security issues in East Asia as much, much more than a Taiwan scenario or a North Korea scenario. It means a steady hand, even as longtime allies like Japan flirt with "redefining" our relationship. It means a respectful posture toward China and its "rise", but not one that ushers in some sense of inevitability. And at the macro-macro level, it means getting our domestic house in order so that we can continue to be the economic power the world needs us to be--the trusted hand on the tiller.
Bryan McGrath
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