A Study Of U.S. Military Assistance Towards The Philippines Since The New Century

Military assistance is a specific practice of military diplomacy,and it is also an important means for a country to pursue strategic goals and handle foreign military relations.As the largest military assistance country of the world,the evolution of U.S.foreign military assistance policy,to a certain extent,can reflect the changes in its national security strategy and the adjustment of its foreign relations.The U.S.-Philippines alliance is an important bilateral relationship for the United States in Asia-Pacific region,which is a key point for the United States to implement its regional security policy.Meanwhile,Military assistance is one of the most important driving force for closer U.S.-Philippine relations.Therefore,this article takes the U.S.military assistance as the theme,and selects the Philippines as the recipient country for deep research.Based on the development and evolution of U.S.military assistance to the Philippines in the past two decades from 2000 to 2020,this article analyzes the key areas and changes of U.S.military assistance to the Philippines,which provides a new perspective for studying U.S.-Philippine relations in the new century.First,by analyzing the interests and regulations of U.S.military assistance to the Philippines,we can grasp the objectives and basis of U.S.military assistance from a macro-level.Secondly,by analyzing the evolution of military assistance policy to the Philippines(from the Bush to the Biden),we can further understand the characteristics and influence of the U.S.military assistance to the Philippines.The long-term military assistance has made the Philippines deeply depend on the United States in the military.However,Duterte has adopted a policy of "balance of powers" after he took office,which makes a gap between the U.S.and the Philippines.This article attempts to explain the "cold politics and hot military" U.S.-Philippines relationship by deeply analyzing the effect and obstruction of U.S.military assistance to the Philippines.In addition,the current research on U.S.-Philippine relations should be carried out under the framework of the South China Sea issue.As the only U.S.ally involved in the South China Sea issue,relevant actions of the Philippines can reflect the convergence and divergence of the U.S.-Philippines alliance’s policies on the South China Sea issue.To a certain extent,it can also reflect the future trend of the South China Sea issue.The U.S.military assistance not only affects U.S.-Philippine military relations,but also has a corresponding impact on the development of Sino-U.S.-Philippines trilateral relations and the security situation in the South China Sea and the Asia-Pacific region.It is worthy of our country’s long-term attention and research.Then,based on the above research,we can predict the future trend of the U.S.-Philippines military assistance relationship,draw enlightenment and put forward corresponding suggestions on our country’s military assistance,and how to handle the Sino-U.S.-Philippines trilateral relationship and the South China Sea issue.