Commitment in American Foreign Policy, a Theoretical Examination for the Post-Vietnam Era

This report examines the changing structure of US security commitments and provides a survey of current American commitments. The author lists 10 countries in rank order of the strength of American commitment to them. The countries surveyed group themselves roughly into four categories or overall levels of commitment. In the first category are nations to which the United States would almost certainly respond with its full conventional military power, including troops, in case of a serious armed attack. This category includes such old allies as South Korea, Turkey, and Israel, and two relative newcomers, Spain and Saudi Arabia. Category II contains Taiwan and Thailand -- to which the U.S. would very probably respond if an attack occurred, but not as surely as with category I countries and probably to a smaller extent e.g., supplies but no troops. Category III countries are those with which the U.S. is definitely not committed to a total response but might well feel compelled to help defend to some extent, depending on the circumstances of the threat Nigeria and Yugoslavia. South Africa falls in a fourth category in being very unlikely at present to receive any response at all except in the most exceptional circumstances.