As part of the Global Connections speaker series, Dr. David Kang from the University of Southern California will give a talk on 2 October 2018 at 1200 in Glasgow Hall, Room 322. His talk is titled “Cheap Talk about a Free Ride in East Asian Security.” East Asia today is richer, more integrated, and more stable than at any time in the past century. Military expenditures are steadily declining for most countries in the region. This is almost always attributed to the America’s leadership, alliances, and military presence in the region that reassures allies and deters challengers. While this is undoubtedly true, it is also true that most East Asian states today do not fear for their survival, and hence are not arming themselves as if they did. Claims of free riding actually rest on a counterfactual: if the U.S. were not present, these countries would spend more on their own defense. But this needs to be shown, not asserted, and an in-depth analysis of the Philippines shows that the reality is more complicated.

For a short bio, click here.