Geo-setting and hedging strategy responses of small states in an area of strategic intersection:A case study of the Philippines,China,and the United States
In the post-Cold War era,small states located at the strategic intersection of great powers are faced with heightened sensitivity and variability in their geo-setting,consequently,their foreign strategic behaviors are characterized as hedging.This article constructs an analytical framework underpinned by the interdisciplinary integration of geo-setting and hedging theories to reveal the rationale of strategy responses of small states in the strategic intersection.Taking the triple-relation between the Philippines,China and the US as an example,the research unpacks the characteristics of geo-setting elements of the Philippines as a strategic intersection,the evolution of its hedging strategies towards China and the US after the Cold War,as well as the geopolitical driving factors.The study concludes that:(1)The diverse strategies of small states in strategic intersections are influenced by national geo-setting,systemic pressure,and national strategic preference.The national geo-setting functions can be considered as a contextual perspective in analyzing strategic behaviors,while the other two can be regarded as geo-variables that play their cross-scale roles regionally and nationally.(2)The strategic response of the Philippines is deeply based on and driven by geographical,and relational and structural factors.The hedging strategy of the Philippine is geographically grounded by its unique geo-location and physical geographical environment,as well as its long history of colonization.Propelled by the uncertainty of power relations and structures in the Asia-Pacific region,the hedging strategy of the Philippine evolves with the dynamics of the asymmetric triangular geo-relations between the Philippines-US-China,and the duality and instability within this region.(3)In the post-Cold War period,the ever-intensifying strategic competition between China and the US has exerted regional geopolitical pressures on the Philippines,thereby shrinking its hedging space.The Philippines has forged hedging strategies between China and the US,and concomitantly align with the United States.Meanwhile,the implementation of strategies in different periods are influenced by domestic governance issues and the perceptions of leaders.This study aims to interrogate the driving factors behind small states'implementation of hedging strategies in strategic intersections of great powers,with the hope of providing illuminative insights for China's diplomatic policy towards neighboring small countries.
geo-settinghedging strategystrategic intersection areasmall statesthe Philippinesthe United StatesChina
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