Friday, August 12, 2011

U.S.-Philippines Partnership In The Cause Of Maritime Defense

From The Heritage Foundation and The CATO Institute:






Foreign Policy/International Affairs





U.S.–Philippines Partnership in the Cause of Maritime Defense



by Renato De Castro, Walter Lohman



The Heritage Foundation



August 08, 2011



Backgrounder





Recent developments in the South China Sea illustrate the urgent need for the Philippines to shift its focus from internal security to maritime defense. Internal security will continue to be important to the Philippines, as active insurgencies are not yet securely behind it. But the Philippines can and must find a way to perform both missions adequately. It is in the United States’ interest that it be able to do so. The U.S.–Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement, deeply embedded consultation mechanisms, and a century of friendship, cooperation, and mutual sacrifice give the U.S. the framework to assist its longtime ally. It need only be fully employed.





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