the turn of the century, the "gross regional product" of these nations will equal that of North America.
Meanwhile, to "contain" the Soviets, the United States keeps 330,000 military per- sonnel, nearly half its Navy ships, and sev- eral Air Force fighter wings in or near East Asia. The annual cost: some $50 billion, or 18 percent of the Pentagon budget.
Trying to cope with altered economic realities of the U.S.-Asian relationship, Washington has pressed Japan and other Asian...