Why Quasi-Alliances Will Persist in the Indo-Pacific? The Fall and Rise of the Quad

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-304
Author(s):  
Frederick Kliem
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Pacific Region ◽  
Direct Response ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Function ◽  
Threat Theory

The rise of and increasing assertiveness by China presents a significant structural challenge in the Indo-Pacific region (IPR). In an effort to retain the status quo, a number of states have signed-up to the ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP). In support of FOIP, operational mechanisms have emerged—most importantly the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). The United States, Japan, Australia and India have come together in this informal format to exchange views on current security challenges and coordinate their strategic approaches. This article analyses both form and function of Quad and argues that both the diplomatic and military arrangements between Quad members are a direct response to ever-increasing Chinese assertiveness. Alongside a detailed empirical analysis of Quad, this paper addresses the question why Quad 2.0 will thrive although previous attempts at security networks failed. Balance of threat theory will illuminate why informal quasi-alliances vis-à-vis China are going to be the structural new normal for the IPR.

The Current Status of Hearing Care: Can We Change the Status Quo?

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (07) ◽  
pp. 410-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Van Vliet
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Current Status ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Scientific Database ◽  
The Status

The members of the profession of audiology often express concern that the services and products that have been developed to provide benefit to the hearing impaired are not sought after or delivered to the majority of those diagnosed with hearing loss. A critical look at the status quo of hearing care delivery in the United States is needed to verify this assumption and to develop strategies to improve the situation. A key concern is the lack of a comprehensive high-quality scientific database upon which to build continuous improvements in the effectiveness of the services and products that are provided to the hearing impaired.

“It Can’t Happen Here”: Howard Brenton’s The Churchill Play

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-214
Author(s):  
Judith Saunders
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Bertolt Brecht ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
The Status

Abstract This article proposes revisiting Howard Brenton’s The Churchill Play (1974). I contend that the play offers pertinent insights into how authoritarian governments come into being through the implicit cooperation of people who, wittingly or unwittingly, enter into a “conspiracy of obedience.” Although inspired by political issues that were current in Britain in the 1970 s and 1980 s, the play’s illustration of the fragility of democracy resonates with today’s political atmosphere, especially that experienced in the United States. By anchoring my argument to the theories of Bertolt Brecht, I aim to clarify Brenton’s intent and encourage a more parabolic reading of the play – perceiving totalitarianism not as the usurpation of power by a single individual or group, but as the consequence of people’s complacent and self-serving tendencies to comply with the status quo.

Morocco

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaney A. Jamal
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
North African ◽  
Islamic Movements ◽  
The North ◽  
The Status ◽  
Islamic Party

This chapter focuses on Morocco, highlighting how citizens across the North African monarchy rationalize authoritarianism through the prism of strategic utility to U.S. (and EU) ties. Morocco includes one of the most progressive Islamic movements in the region, and citizens, while applauding the movement's moderation, remain wary of its foreign intentions. Enhancing ties with the United States and maintaining ties to Europe were often cited as key reasons why the status quo was preferable to increasing levels of democracy. It became apparent that although the Islamic Party for Justice and Development is considered moderate in terms of its internal Islamic agenda, many in the kingdom worried about the party's stance toward the United States.

Creating Oportunity

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltan J. Acs
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Economic Opportunity ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
The Status ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fundamental Tension ◽  
Opportunity Creation

This chapter describes the system of opportunity creation in the United States, which has been a series of inventions and reinventions of the means by which opportunity has been provided. It begins with a historical background on efforts to suppress opportunity—or at least keep a monopoly hold on it—particularly in Britain. It then considers how opportunity has been embedded in American-style capitalism in two fundamental ways. The first is by equipping individuals with the skills they need to participate in capitalism; the second relates to the functioning of innovation and markets, and to the ability of new industries, firms, and jobs to challenge the status quo—namely, creative destruction. It also highlights the fundamental tension between wealth creation and maintaining economic opportunity. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the role played by schools and education reformers in the history of opportunity and opportunity creation in America.

A Wide-Open Town?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Sueyoshi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Order ◽  
White Women ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Men Of Color ◽  
The Status ◽  
The City

This chapter interrogates San Francisco’s mythical reputation as a town where “anything goes.” Pairings of men of color with white women occurred in the city press without the violent rage that it provoked in nearly every other part of the United States at the time. Homoerotic imagery and writings also proliferated with little to no controversy. While the acceptance of these activities might signal an embrace of the diverse people and lifestyles, it in fact pointed to the opposite. Precisely because of overwhelming and unquestionable dominance of white supremacy and heterosexuality, narratives of interracial mingling and same-sex love that might otherwise challenge the status quo served merely as entertaining anecdotes without any threat to the existing social order.

scholarly journals Power Transition Theory Revisited: When Rising China Meets Dissatisfied United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 05 (03) ◽  
pp. 317-341
Author(s):  
Serafettin Yilmaz ◽  
Wang Xiangyu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Transition Theory ◽  
Power Transition ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Power Transition Theory ◽  
The Status ◽  
Rising Power ◽  
The U.S

Dissatisfaction is a major concept in power transition theory, which postulates that a rapidly rising power tends to be dissatisfied with the international system and would thus attempt to reform or replace it, whereas the hegemonic power would, by default, be satisfied with and work to maintain the status quo. This paper, however, offers an alternative outlook on the reigning-rising power dynamics by examining the conditions for and implications of hegemonic dissatisfaction and rising power satisfaction. It argues that although China, as a potential systemic challenger harboring grievances against the existing global regimes, has been a recurrent subject for studies, it is the United States, the established hegemon, that appears increasingly dissatisfied with the status quo. The U.S. dissatisfaction is informed by a set of internal and external factors often justified with a reference to China as a challenger, and is manifested in a number of anti-system strategies, including unconventional diplomatic rhetoric, as well as withdrawal from various international institutions or attempts to undermine them. The U.S. discontent, as contrasted with China’s satisfaction as a rising power, has a number of potential geopolitical and economic implications at the bilateral, regional, and global levels, endangering the viability and sustainability of the universally accepted political and economic regimes.

By Ship—The Salt of the Sea Not Withstanding

1963 ◽  
Vol 345 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-88
Author(s):  
John M. Will
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
National Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Merchant Marine ◽  
Competitive Disadvantage ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Function ◽  
American Flag

Years of constant study and controversy have always reaffirmed our national policy that a strong merchant marine is essential for economic and defense reasons. Yet, the status of the United States Merchant Marine today is continuing to be debated pro and con. High labor and construction costs place American maritime operators at an economic disadvantage, and political and nationalistic factors place them at a competitive disadvantage. Labor problems, marked by struggles between competing unions and accentuated by the advent of automation, create serious difficulties. With the heterogeneous nature of the industry ignored or misunderstood, the importance and function of essential portions of the United States merchant fleet are often distorted. As a matter of practice, foreign businessmen use their national ships to a greater degree than American shippers. The competitive position of the American operator is also affected by omnipresent government regulation. The increased dependence of the United States upon world trade, however, and the need to achieve a more favorable balance of payments have created a national awareness of the essentiality of an American-flag merchant fleet. This will help to create the atmosphere in business, government, and labor necessary for the solution of present problems and the achievement of a more effective national maritime policy.

Apocalypticism in U.S. History

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Avery Sutton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Personal Identity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Strong Sense ◽  
American Life ◽  
Sense Of Purpose ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Status

Apocalypticism has had a powerful impact on American life. It has fostered among adherents a strong sense of purpose and personal identity, it has helped them interpret the challenges they face all around them, and it has provided them with a triumphant vision of the future. Although there are many kinds of apocalypticism, in the United States, Christian forms have dominated. The Bible’s focus on a coming millennium has offered Americans the promise of transformation and redemption in a world that sometimes seems void of both. When Christians have emphasized the Bible’s apocalyptic and millennial visions, they have acted in new and important ways. Apocalyptic visions, rather than fostering a sense of indifference to the coming of the end of days, have served as a call to battle. God, millennialists insist, has given them much to do and very little time in which to do it. Positive that Jesus is coming soon, they have preached revival and engaged directly and aggressively with their culture. Sometimes their actions have served to reinforce the status quo, and at other times they have sparked revolutions. The uses of apocalypticism and millennialism are almost as diverse as their adherents.

This American Moment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caron E. Gentry
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
International Relations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Alternative Response ◽  
Christian Realism ◽  
Black Lives Matter ◽  
The Status

This American Moment focuses on the concept of anxiety politics by arguing that America is in crisis. Those who uphold or participate in racist and misogynist politics are threatened by changes to the status quo, such as the economic gains made by women and therefore respond with reactivity and defensiveness. This book examines first, the Black Lives Matter campaign as the latest disruption of the raced structures that define America and the anxious reactions that seek to protect and maintain the race structures; second, the particular economic, bodily, and reproductive health vulnerabilities that women face that have amalgamated into America’s War on Women as anxious reactions to maintain patriarchy; and, finally, the how racism and misogyny unwittingly and rather unexpectedly led to the election of Trump and opened the door to fascism in the United States. The book argues that these are all destructive outcomes of anxiety and responds by envisioning a creative intervention: arguing that an alternative response to anxiety is to think creatively about our relationships, society, and politics. The author poses this as feminist Christian realism, an update of Reinhold Niebuhr’s Christian realism, arguing that religious approaches still have a place in politics and international relations.

Principled Disobedience

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candice Delmas
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African American ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Civil Rights Movement ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
The Status

Chapter 1 surveys the literature on civil disobedience and places the author’s own approach to resistance and principled disobedience within this context. Public understanding of civil disobedience is the product of two different strands: the broadly Rawlsian philosophical conception of civil disobedience and the official narrative of the civil rights movement in the United States. This chapter calls upon history to show how the standard, broadly Rawlsian conception of civil disobedience (though not necessarily Rawls’s own) rests on an unrealistic and objectionable reading of the African American civil rights struggle. It also argues that the official reading of the civil rights movement functions as a counter-resistance ideology, deterring any form of protest against the status quo. It then examines and critiques recent “inclusive” accounts of civil disobedience, proposing instead a broad matrix of resistance that includes lawful acts of resistance and principled—civil and uncivil—disobedience.

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