Photo: Philip Fong/AFP
Eurasia
22/04/2025 18:55
The world-renowned economist argues that the justification for U.S. military bases in Asia—mainly the claim that China is planning to attack host countries, especially Japan and South Korea—is unfounded. Based on historical experience, Sachs contends that it is misguided for Washington to maintain a military presence in the region, as it only serves to heighten tensions between China and the aforementioned states.
While acknowledging the importance of deterrence and defense against North Korea in the case of South Korea, Sachs argues that it “would be achieved far more effectively and credibly through a regional security system including China, Japan, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea than through the presence of the U.S., which has repeatedly stoked North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and military build-up, rather than diminished it.”
The professor highlights the contradiction in U.S. foreign policy, which views “two small port facilities in Panama owned by a Hong Kong company” as a security threat to its national interest, while stationing U.S. military personnel within China’s direct sphere of influence.
Sachs argues that the “best strategy for superpowers” is to stay out of each other’s way—meaning that neither China nor Russia, nor the United States, should maintain military bases so close to each other’s borders.
“Trump is looking for ways to save money—an excellent idea, given that the U.S. federal budget is hemorrhaging $2 trillion a year, more than 6 percent of U.S. GDP. Closing the U.S. overseas military bases would be an excellent place to start,” Sachs concludes.
