ABSTRACT
The presence of the United States (US) in the Pacific region dates from the late eighteenth century in the early years of the Republic, and early in the nineteenth century the Americans pushed west from their Eastern Seaboard foundation territory. Through war, treaties and territorial acquisition the US emerged as a major Pacific power with the Oregon Territory treaty with Britain, seizing the now American southwest from Mexico in the Mexican War. Purchase of Alaska from Russia, the overthrow of the Polynesian monarchy and subsequent annexation of Hawaii and the victory in the Spanish-American War placed them as a major East Asian imperial power with the taking of the Philippines. After the long world war of 1914-1945, the US emerged as the hegemon of the Western Pacific and the newly independent Australia played a minor role in power in the geopolitics in this sphere of the world now dominated by the US.
