Leading experts of the Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress contributed their views on the nature and trajectory of alliances in the conference on “Alliances Adrift: Is this the End of America’s Asian Alliances?” The event was held on 23 April 2019 in Singapore and was organized by the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs of the Australian National University, in collaboration with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies of the Nanyang Technological University, the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and sponsored by the Korea Foundation. The conference covered the historical and theoretical foundations of the San Francisco System, the challenges that the hub-and-spokes model faces in East and Southeast Asia, and the prospects of the survival of the alliance system.
The event drew a variety of regional and international experts. Pathways President and Founder, Prof Aileen Baviera, shared her thoughts on the issues surrounding the US-Philippine alliance. Prof Herman Kraft, also representing the Strategic Studies Program of UP, evaluated the future of the San Francisco System, while Dr Charmaine Willoughby identified various theoretical frameworks that could explain the phenomenon of alliances.