US Future Lies in Asia-Pacific, Says Clinton
On the eve of President Obamas trip to the Asia-Pacific next month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has outlined the administration's vision for U.S. engagement in the region.
Clintons definitive statement, titled America's Pacific Century and published on the Foreign Policy Magazine website, has been largely well received. It is described by one analyst, David Rothkopf, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as a foreign policy initiative that is likely to be seen as the most successful and significant of the Barack Obama-Clinton foreign policy era.
While many of the initiatives are not new, the essay further consolidates the Obama administrations change in strategic direction, with Secretary Clinton stating up front that the future of politics will not be decided in Afghanistan or Iraq, but in Asia.
The United States will be right at the center of the action, she said.
The statement comes with President Obamas announcement of the complete withdrawal of Americas 39,000 remaining troops in Iraq by the end of the year.
Clinton's plan precedes the presidents mid-November trip to Australia, and his attendance at two major forums in the Asia-Pacific region: the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders meeting in Honolulu, Nov. 1213; and the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Indonesias Bali, Nov. 19.
Although technically not part of East A! sia, the United States will join the 16-member EAS this year for the first time. Significantly, Russia will also be premiering, marking the economic and strategic importance of the region.
The secretary of state said Asia was the fastest growing region in the world, containing around half the worlds population and many of the "key engines of the global economy."
One of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next decade will therefore be to lock in a substantially increased investmentdiplomatic, economic, strategic, and otherwisein the Asia-Pacific region, she said.
Critics of the initiative say America is still reeling from years of spending on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus its own economic downturn.
Further foreign engagement will detract from addressing critical domestic issues, said The Financial Times Richard McGregor, author of "The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers."
It is an extraordinary statement at a time of domestic introspection and defense cuts in Washington, he commented, in an analysis of Clintons paper on the Foreign Policy website.
But Clintons rationale is that We cannot afford not to. The Asian initiative appears to have bipartisan support as well.
Our economic recovery at home will depend on exports and the ability of American firms to tap into the vast and growing consumer base of Asia, Clinton stated.
Comments