Great Power Competition in Associated States: The Cases of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau

Abstract: The Pacific region has been caught in the escalating geostrategic competition between the United States (US) and China in the broad Indo-Pacific region. This article focuses on the freely associated states of the United States in the Pacific, including the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and Palau. To counterbalance China's influence, the United States has ramped up its presence in the region, especially in these freely associated states. In this article I analyze these small countries as both objects and subjects of the US-China geostrategic competition, and argue that the United States still enjoys a prominent strategic advantage over China in these countries. I also demonstrate the agency of these freely associated states in affecting the US-China competition.