Publication

This paper examines the implications of US President Barack Obama’s declaration in April 2014 that the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security covers all territories under Japan's administration, including the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. The author argues that the most likely outcome of the declaration is that China will be just as inclined to escalate the crisis as before and that Japan will not change its position on the islands. However, he suggests it also means that if war breaks out, the US will have to decide to either betray its ally and undermine the credibility of its security commitments or enter a war against a nuclear armed adversary.