What is the US “rebalance to Asia”?
In early 2012 the Obama Administration announced a policy of “pivoting” to Asia. The idea was that with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars winding down, the USA would shift more military, economic and diplomatic energy to Asia. Later Washington rephrased it as a “rebalance” to Asia. While some kind of reassurance to US friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific region was necessary to offset the perception of a rising and assertive China, the “rebalance” rhetoric is criticized for several reasons: (1) it seems unnecessarily confrontational toward China; (2) observers outside the USA question whether the United States has the money and commitment to increase US military forces in Asia; (3) the United States had never left Asia in the first place; and (4) unrest in the Middle East continues to demand America’s full attention.
