Obama’s Pivot to Asia Is Working

The Obama administration’s pivot to Asia, starting in 2011, has drawn both criticism and praise. Doyle McManus argues the pivot is working well. “Almost every country in the region is clamoring for a closer relationship with the United States,” he writes. “The United States does have one asymmetric advantage of its own: its ability to forge stronger alliances with China’s worried neighbors.” The United States is not stopping China from dredging and building up small islands in the South China Sea that are also claimed by countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. Many anticipate China to claim oil reserves that may wait underneath the waters and deploy fishing fleets that employ 14 million. McManus suggests China’s neighbors seek reassurance of US support in strengthening their economies with trade and points out that the remaining US presidential candidates vying to replace Obama have criticized the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which also includes Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei as members. He concludes that US reluctance on the trade agreement could help China. – YaleGlobal