Patrick Cronin

Everybody in the region is watching American politics. It's better than the Super Bowl. Better than Beyonce, they're very worried about a downturn in U.S.-Southeast Asian relations -- sure.

New Korean-built light fighter aircraft could reach Scarborough Shoal in just minutes, and maritime patrol aircraft or drones could eventually provide persistent coverage of Chinese movements in the area, a return to Subic Bay, this time led by the Philippine air force, would seem to be a prudent defensive response.

A Manila-Hanoi axis places a hurdle in China's ambitions to control most of the South China Sea, this may not lead to immediate changes in the regional balance of power ... but it will shine a spotlight on how China's assertive unilateralism threatens to undermine stability and prosperity.