越戰結束後，許多人士常常問道：美國會退出亞洲嗎？如果答案是肯定的，它將帶來什麼影響？如果答案是否定的，美國將繼續扮演什麼角色？確實這些問題值得深思！過去二十餘年來，美國在亞太地區的承諾似乎成了該區國家和人民心理上和實質上的一種護盾。長期的依賴，對提供支持的國家而言是一項沈重的負擔；對接受保證的國家而言則會產生心理上的偏差。從前美國的威望不僅建立在它無可挑戰的優勢權力上，更重要的是它擁有履行承諾的信用和無比的道德勇氣。如今這些條件均不存在，七○年代國際政治劇烈的變化，使每一個國家對其所應扮演的角色，都有重估的必要。在－個變動不居的國際環境中，亞太地區國家在面對新的威脅、新的挑戰之餘，當應認清美國在未來可能選擇的路綫，藉以籌謀對應自處之策。本文寫作之目的，卽在嘗試分析美國未來指引其亞洲政策的戰略選擇為何。在作成抉擇時，它面臨的限制與可能帶來的影響亦為本文試圖探討的重點所在。
本論文分為四章、計六節。探討所及的地域，重點在東亞地區，尤其是東北亞美―日―中共―蘇俄四強的權力互動關係。第一章―緒論，旨在簡介第二次世界大戰後美國在西太平洋地區扮演的角色，以及越戰結束後美國對安全利益看法的改變；第二章，旨在評估影響美國西太平洋戰略考慮的重要因素。著重於美、蘇相對權力的變化、東亞權力結構的轉變、以及潛存的區域安全的重大威脅；第三章，旨在分析全球戰略考慮下的西太平洋戰略諸種選擇的利弊及限制，及其面臨的難題；第四章―結論，針對美國的政策作為及可能的戰略選擇，提出一簡要的剖視與批評。
本文自開始撰寫至全稿付梓，其間遭遇到甚多困難，衆多分歧複雜問題的處理，幸賴指導教授關中老師在百忙之中不厭其煩的給予可貴的觀念啟迪與細心的指導；以及在學期間諸位師長的不倦的教誨，與同學間相互的鼓勵期勉，在在誠致最深之敬意與謝意。最後感謝雙親多年來的培育，以及在精神上的支持，使我得以順利完成學業。

一、中文部份：
尼克森國情咨文，七十年代的美國外交政策：和平的建立（台北：美國新聞處譯印，一九七一）。
尼克森國情咨文，七十年代的美國外交政策：塑造持久的和平（台北：美國新聞處譯印，一九七三）。
宋廣仁等譯，美國的亞洲安全政策（台北：黎明，民六六）。
關中，「美國外交與對華政策」（台北：幼獅，民六六）。
二、西文部分：
(1)Books:
Bauer, Robert A., The United States in World Affairs: Leadership, Partnership, or Disengagement? (The Uni, Press of Virginia, 1975 ).
Chace, James, A World Elsewhere: The New American Foreign Policy ( N.Y. : Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1973 ).
Clough, Ralph N., East Asia and U.S. Security ( Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1975 ).
Friedland, Edward, et al, The Great D’etente Disaster (N.Y. : Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, 1975 ).
Hsiao, Grene T. ed., Sino-American D’etente and its Policy Implication (N. Y. : Praeger Publishers, 1974 ).
Introduction by Schlesinger, James R, Defending America (N.Y. : Basic Books, Inc., 1977 ).
Jukes, Geoffery, The Indian Ocean in Soviet Naval Policy (London: IISS, Adel phi Paper no. 87, 1972 ).
Kissinger, Henry A., American Foreign Policy 3rd, ed., (N.Y. : W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1977 ).
Langer, Paul, Japanese National Security Policy-Domestic Determinants (Rand. Corp., 1972 ).
London, Kurt, ed., The Soviet Impact on World Politics (N.Y. : Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1974 ).
McLellan, David S., et al, The Theory and Practice of International Relations 4th ed. (Englewood Cliffs N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1974).
Morgenthau, Hans J., A New Foreign Policy for the U.S. (N.Y.: Freaderick A. Praeger, Publishers, 1969).
Morgenthau, Hans J., Politics Among Nations 5th ed., (N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, In Inc., 1973).
Osgood, Robert E., Alliances and American Foreign Policy (The John Hopkins Press, 1968).
Owen, Henry, ed., The Next Phase in Foreign Policy (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1973).
Paul, Roland, American Military Commitments Abroad (New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers Uni Press, 1973).
Rosecrance, Richard, ed., America as an Ordinary Country -U.S. Foreign Policy and the Future (Cornell Uni. Press, 1976).
Scalapino, Robert A., Asia and the Road Ahead (Berkeley, Los Angeles, Uni. of California Press, 1975).
Scalapino, Robert A., ed., The Foreign Policy of Modern Japan (Uni. of California Press, 1977).
Seabury, Paul, The United States in World Affairs (McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1 1973).
Sen Gupta, Phabani, Soviet-Asian Relations in the 1970s and Beyond (N.Y.: Praeger Publishers, 1976).
Simpson III, B. Mitchell, ed., War Strategy, and Maritime Power (N.J.: Rutgers Uni. Press, 1977).
Tan Su-cheng, The Expansion of Soviet Seapower and the Security of Asia ( Taipei: The Asia and the World Forum, 1977).
The Military Balance 1977-78 (The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1977).
Tucker, Robert W., A New Isolationism (Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, 1972).
U. S. Foreign Policy for the 1970’s: A New Strategy for Peace, Message to the Congress by Richard Nixon Feb. 18, 1970 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office 1972).
Wu, Yuan-Li, U.S. Policy and Strategic Interests in the Western Pacific (N.Y.: Crane, Russak & Company, Inc., 1975).
(2) Articles:
Albright, David E, “The Sino-Soviet Conflict and the Balance of Power in Asia, ” Pacific Community, Jan. 1977.
Aspin, Lee, “How to look at the Soviet-American Balance,” Foreign Policy, Spring 1976.
Bagley, Worth H, ”The Decline of U.S. Sea Power” Orbis, Sum. 1977.
Barnett, A, Doak, “Military-Security Relations Between China and the U.S., “Foreign Affairs, April 1977.
Brown, Seyom, ” An End to Grand Strategy, “ Foreign Policy, Fall 1978.
Brown, Seyom, ”The Changing Circumstances of U.S. Foreign Policy,” in Robert A. Bauer, The United States in World Affairs: Leadership, Partnership, or Disengagement ?(The Uni Press of Virginia, 1975).
Brzezinski, Zbigniew, ”Japan’s Global Engagement, ”Foreign Affairs, Jan. 1972
Brzezinski, Zbigniew, ”The Balance of Power Delusion, “ Foreign Policy, Summer 1972.
Brzezinski, Zbigniew, " U. S. Foreign Policy: The Search for Focus," Foreign Affairs, July 1973.
Bundy, Mc George, " To Cap the Volcano," Foreign Affairs, Oct. 1969.
Barnett, A. Doak, ” The Changing Strategic Bzlance in Asia,” in Grene T. Hsiao, ed., Sino-American De’tente and its Policy Implications (N.Y.: Praeger Publishers, 1974).
Chace James, "Is A Foreign Policy Consensus Possible’?” Foreign Affairs, Fall Fall 1978.
Department of State Bulletin, Vo. 78. No. 2016., (july 1978).
Dougherty, James E., " Nuclear Proliferation in Asia” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Gordon, Bernard K., " Loose Cannon on a Rolling Deck? Japan’s Changing Security Policies," Orbis, Winter 1979.
Hellmann, Donald C., "Japanese Security and the Postwar Japanese Foreign Policy," in Robert A, Scalapino, ed., The Foreign Policy of Modern Japan (Uni. of California Press, 1977).
Ichord, Robert F. Jr., "Pacific Basin Energy Development and U. S. Foreign Policy, “ Orbis, Winter 1977.
Johnson, Barbara, and Frank Langdon, “The Impact of the Law of the Sea Conference Upon the Pacific Region: Part I," Pacific Affairs, Spring 1978.
Johnson, Barbara and Frank Langdon, “The Impact of the Law of the Sea Conference Upon the Pacific Region: Part II, " Pacific Affairs, Summer 1978.
Kemp, Geoffrey, “Threats From the Sea: Sources For Asian Maritime Conflict, “ Orbis, Fall 1975.
Kosaka, Masataka, "Japan's Major Interests and Policies in Asia and the Pacific,” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Langer, Paul, Japanese National Security Policy-Domestic Determinants ( Rand Corp., 1972). Lee, John M., "United States Military Roles in a Period of Resource,” in B Mitchell Simpson, ed., War, Strategy, and Maritime Power (N.J.: Rutgers Uni. Press, 1977).
Leng, Shao-Chuan, “ Chinese Strategy Toward the Asian-Pacific,” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Mackintosh, Malcolm, “Soviet Interests and Policies in the Asian-Pacific Region,” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Marshall, Charles Burton, “National Security: Thoughts on the Intangibles,” in James R. Schlesingers, ed., Defending America (N.Y.: Basic Books, Inc, 1977).
Marshall, Charles Burton, “The United States,” in Kurt London, ed., The Soviet Impact on World Politics (N.Y. Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1974).
Momoi, Makato, ”Basic Trends in Japanese Security Policies,” in Robert A Scalapino, ed., The Foreign Policy of Modern Japan (Uni of California Press, 1977).
Nakamura, Koii, “Living With the Superpowers,” Far Eastern Economic Review, May 23, 1975. Ohira, Masayoshi, “A New Foreign Policy for Japan,” Pacific Community, April 1972.
Overholt, William H., “ Nuclear Proliferation in Eastern Asia,” Pacific Community, Oct. 1976.
Pfaltzgraff, Jr., Robert L., “The American-European-Japanese Relationship : Prospects for the Late 1970s, ” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Pillsbury, Michael, “ A Japanese Card ?” Foreign Policy, Winter 1978/1979.
Quester, George, " The Non-Proliferation Treaty and the IAEA,” International Organization, Spring 1970.
Ra’anan, Uri, “The Washington-Moscow-Peking Triangle: A Re-examination of Chinese and Soviet Concepts,” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Ravenal, Earl C., “The Nixon Doctrine and Our Asian Commitments,” Foreign Affairs, January 1971.
Ravenal, Earl C., “The case for Strategic Disengagement,” Foreign Affairs, April 1973.
Ravenal, Earl C., “Toward Disengagement and Adjustment’,” in Robert A. Bauer The United States in World Affairs: Leadership, Partnership, or Disengagement? (The Uni. Press of Virginia 1975).
Rosecrance, Richard, “American Influence in World Politics,” in Richard Rosecrance, ed., America as an Ordinary Country-U.S. Foreign Policy and the Future (Cornell Uni. Press, 1976).
Rowen, Henry S., “Japan and the Future Balance in Asia,” Orbis, Summer 1977.
Scalapino, Robert A, “The Pragon, the Tiger and the Wolf-Sino-Soviet Relation and their Impact on Asia,” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Scalapino, Robert A., “The Dragon, the Tiger and the Wolf-Sino-Soviet Relations and their impact on Asia,” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Scalapino, Robert A., “Approaches to Peace and Security Zn Asia: The Uncertainty Surrounding American Strategic Principles, ” Current Scene, Aug-Sept. 1978.
Simes, Dimitrik., “ Detente Russian Style,” Foreign Policy, Fall 1978.
Statement by Harold Brown, “The New U.S. Defence Programme,” Survival, May/June 1977. Tsunoda, Jun, “Japanese security Problems and Perspectives in the Late 1970s, “ Orbis, Fall 1975.
Turner, Stansfield, Adm., “The Naval Balance: Not Just a Numbers Game,” Foreign Affairs, January 1977.
Walker, Richard L., “The Future of U.S. Trans-Pacific Alliances,” Orbis, Fall 1975.
Wall Street Journal, August 24, 1976.
Washington Star-News, June 15, 1975.
Watanabe Akio, “Japanese Public Opinion and Foreign Affairs: 1964-1973,” in Robert A Scalapinc ed., The Foreign Policy of Modern Japan (Uni. of California Press, 1977).
Weinstein, Franklin B., “U.S.-Japan Relations and the Fallacies of Burden-Sharing,” Pacific Community, Oct. 1977.
Werner, Roy A, “ Oil and U.S. Security Policies,” Orbis, Fall 1977.
Wolfe, Thomas W. “Soviet Military Strategy and Policy,” in Kurt London, ed., The Soviet Impact on World Palitics (N.Y.: Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1974).