ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the management of the US-Philippines alliance over the past decade. The rise of global terrorism and the reconfiguration of regional security politics in response to the evolving security challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China’s growing power in East Asia have largely shaped this bilateral relationship. Specifically explored here is how the US-Philippines alliance is shifting its focus from one of counterterrorism to territorial defense aimed at enabling the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to address the China factor in the South China Sea. The chapter addresses the following questions: using the concept of alliance management, how do the Philippines and the US manage their alliance to face the changing security challenges of the twenty-first century? What factor(s) account for the durability of US-Philippines security relations? What are the institutions that effectively underpin this alliance? What strategies are in place to keep the alliance relevant in a rapidly changing regional security environment? Addressing these issues should provide us with a more comprehensive understanding of the bilateralism dimension in US strategy.
