The Foreign Service Journal, November 2021

76 NOVEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL and developing countries. A comprehensive strategy must seek to grow infrastructure and guide regulation development. The Standards Alliance, a public-private partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development and the American Standards Institute, is an effective existing platform to engage partners further on this. The partnership focuses on capacity- building assistance in developing countries and allows for joint work with international partners to this end. Through this approach, partner countries are more likely to reject state con- trol, invasive monitoring and direct interference in the devel- opment of their digital economies. Exchanges. Third, the United States must seriously commit to the need for cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges called for in its National Security Strat- egy. The United States is globally recognized as a leader in education, leadership development and youth exchanges. However, resting on one’s laurels is not sufficient in today’s challenging environment. As China’s Confucius Institutes multiply and promote youth education and cul- tural exchange programs, it is time for the United States to re-recognize the long-term strategic benefits of such programs. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s strong connection to the United States undoubtedly has its roots in his time as a student at the University of Southern California. However, today Japa- nese students more often search for opportunities to study in China than they do in the United States. Understanding the culture and motivations of our part- ners is as important as understanding those of our potential adversaries. Few historical examples of failed understanding are more tragic than the lessons of the Vietnam War—two, in particular. First, the United States underestimated the national- ism that primarily motivated the North Vietnamese. Second, as former Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara acknowledged in his 1996 memoir, In Retrospect , the United States failed to understand South Vietnamese leaders because we viewed the problem only through the lens of American experience. Opportunities, Not Burdens The United States cannot afford to view alliances as bur- dens, but rather as opportunities in which to invest. In the world of finance, the traditional mutual fund finds its great- est value through diversification—creating resilience to the swings of the market. A coalition of partners, each contrib- uting unique value to the greater cause, operates similarly. As with an investment, the quality of the portfolio matters: Capable and reliable allies are the bedrock of the mutual fund. Along the same lines, good partnerships are also force mul- tipliers. For example, a strong bilateral relationship with Japan helps improve U.S. relations with Vietnam, providing new avenues of approach to growing this less-robust partnership. Because Japan is one of Vietnam’s most significant foreign aid donors, a strong U.S.-Japan relationship opens doors for joint endeavors in critical areas such as energy infra- structure development or rare earth metal cultivation. In the face of Bei- jing’s encroachment and territorial claims in the South China Sea, Japan and Vietnam operate together under a bilateral defense arrangement. This, in turn, offers the opportunity for improved defense arrangements with the United States. Finally, the United States should view the challenges presented by China as more than a trans-Pacific matter. The United States must reinvest in renewing strained relationships with our trans-Atlantic allies and partners, as well. As a new generation of leaders ascend to senior positions in American government, none wear the scars of total world war, few have grappled with the faraway horrors of the Vietnam War and only a minor- ity grasp the depth of tensions of the Cold War. This is not to say that today’s generations are without scars. However, the lessons of the past that formed the foundations of our existing democracy, international organizations and the liberal world order are fading from memory. Although burden-sharing is an important element of tradi- tional defense agreements, the discord surrounding defense spending must not overshadow the importance of growing, and in some cases renewing, cross-domain cooperation with both new and long-standing allies. To gain momentum in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States must build on its record of success and engage in a whole-of-government approach to partnership-building with other responsible members of the international community. n In September 2019, delegates of the U.S.- Japan Leadership Program gathered in Tokyo in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the program’s founding. The program annually selects young leaders from both countries to collaborate, learn from each other, and establish a lasting network of friendship and understanding. USJLP