The weak Philippines trusts us enough to re-engage with us rather than cave in to their powerful neighbor:
The U.S. and the Philippines signed a new defense agreement that provides more training and equipment for Filipino forces, and assurances of American support if the Philippines is threatened by China. This is a serious matter, as China is claiming areas, 80 kilometers off the Philippines coast, where oil exploration is going on.
And South Korea feels secure enough of our backing to send a strong signal to the North Koreans--one year after their island was shelled by North Koreans--that Seoul will take no more steps backward when North Korea opens fire:
Wednesday's drills involving aircraft, rocket launchers and artillery guns took place off Baengnyeong Island, another front-line territory near the disputed maritime border, and were meant to send a strong message to North Korean rivals stationed within sight just miles (kilometers) away.
The exercises represent far greater firepower than the South Korean military mounted last year in response to the artillery shells showered on military garrisons and fishing villages on nearby Yeonpyeong, Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Lee Bung-woo said.
Oh, and when we establish a perimeter in Asia, there is danger in letting China think that there is ground outside that perimeter that we won't defend. Like South Korea back in 1950. Taiwan comes to mind today. Which I suppose should also be a lesson to China if they think Taiwan is outside our new perimeter.
Don't tell me words don't matter. I think someone once said that. Of course, the meaning might not be clear until it is too late. And sometimes foes just interpret our words to justify what they want to do anyway, regardless of our intent. And sometimes, we change our mind about those words.
And the actions we might have to take because of words can be difficult.
UPDATE: The North Koreans are threatening to destroy Seoul:
North Korea threatened Thursday to turn Seoul’s presidential palace into a “sea of fire,” stepping up its rhetoric one day after South Korea conducted large-scale military drills near a front-line island attacked by the North last year.
Well, just the presidential palace, to be fair. Some might call this "progress."
I still worry that the North Korean rulers have no real idea of how bad their military is, and will decide on war because they think they can win.
But maybe this is a sign of progress. Is just threatening the palace with a pond of fire an indication that Pyongyang knows that turning all of Seoul into a sea of fire is an invitation to the destruction of the North Korean state?
