Beyond "Don't Make Us Choose": Emerging Asian Perspectives on the role of the US, PRC & Japan, and Future Policy Directions

Contemporary international relations is reflective of major shifts in the international system post-Cold War: (1) the beginning and the end of the United States’ “unipolar moment,” and (2) the rise of great powers such as China and Russia as “counter-balancers” to the US’ hegemony (Sears 2016). While the emphasis on the interaction and dynamics of great powers forms the bases for studying power politics, such a picture of the international system fails to consider smaller states and their role in the equation.

The Ateneo de Manila University Institute of Philippine Culture (AdMU IPC) and the Widya Sasana College (Indonesia), through the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (Japan) conducted a pilot study that sought to capture the perceptions of the Philippines and Indonesia on the United States, Japan, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) through a media analysis, qualitative interviews with policy elites, and a public opinion survey. 

The results of the study contribute to the emerging diplomatic manner of “don’t force Southeast Asian countries to choose between the United States and China” that has been rooted in the international community in the past few years. Today, the policymakers and security think tanks in Washington and Tokyo also understand that “don’t make us choose” is standard diplomatic etiquette. Neither Southeast Asian countries nor the ASEAN as a regional forum want to stay away from the big powers. Everyone is friends and partners—this is their main position. Southeast Asian countries are calmly observing the great powers. 

The webinar seeks to present the pilot study results of the perceptions study conducted by AdMU IPC and Widya Sasana College, as well as engage the academic community and policymakers on what lies beyond “don’t make us choose '' in terms of policy making. 

The webinar will be held on August 26, 2022 (Friday) from 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM (Philippine Standard Time) at the Leong Hall Auditorium. 

For on-campus participants who would like to attend the event onsite, please pre-register for the event via the link here: https://bit.ly/SPFWebinar1Onsite. 

Kindly note that we will be capping the onsite participants at 150. 

The event will also be streamed online via Zoom. 

To attend via Zoom, please register for the event via the link here: bit.ly/SPFWebinar1