Colby's Misguided Pressure on U.S. Allies

Trying to dragoon U.S. treaty allies into making new commitments that go beyond their treaty obligations is a good way to antagonize them and damage the alliances.

The U.S. is leaning on its allies in Asia and the Pacific to declare what they would do in a possible war over Taiwan:

The Pentagon is pressing Japan and Australia to make clear what role they would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan, in an effort that has frustrated the two most important American allies in the Indo-Pacific.

Elbridge Colby, US under-secretary of defence for policy, has been pushing the issue in meetings with Japanese and Australian defence officials in recent months, said five people familiar with the discussions.

U.S. allies are not obligated to have any role in a war with China over Taiwan. When pressed on this question, many or all of them may say that their role will be that of neutral spectators. Trying to dragoon U.S. treaty allies into making new commitments that go beyond their treaty obligations is a good way to antagonize them and damage the alliances. If the administration were successful in forcing regional allies to declare themselves on this question, they might find that they don’t like the answers.