The New US Strategy towards Asia
Barack Obamas rebalancing or pivot strategy, intended to demonstrate continued US commitment to the Asia-Pacific region in a variety of military, economic and diplomatic contexts, was launched with much fanfare in 2011. Implicit in the new strategy is both a focus on China engagement with and containment of and a heavy reliance by the United States on its existing friends and allies in the region in order to implement its strategy. This book explores the impact of the new strategy on Americas regional friends and allies. It shows how these governments are working with Washington to advance and protect their distinct national interests, while at the same time avoiding any direct confrontation with China. It also addresses the reasons why many of these regional actors harbour concerns about the ability of the United States to sustain the pivot strategy in the long run. Overall, the book illustrates the deep complexities of the United States exercise of power and influence in the region.
William T. Tow is Professor and Head of the Department of International Relations, College of Asia and Pacific at the Australian National University.
Douglas Stuart is Professor and Chair of International Studies at Dickinson College and also an Adjunct Research Professor at the US Army War College.
Routledge Security in Asia Pacific Series
Series Editors
Leszek Buszynski, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the Australian National University, and William Tow, Australian National University.
Security issues have become more prominent in the Asia-Pacific region because of the presence of global players, rising great powers and confident middle powers, which intersect in complicated ways. This series puts forward important new work on key security issues in the region. It embraces the roles of the major actors, their defence policies and postures, and their security interaction over the key issues of the region. It includes coverage of the United States, China, Japan, Russia, the Koreas, as well as the middle powers of ASEAN and South Asia. It also covers issues relating to environmental and economic security as well as transnational actors and regional groupings.
1 Bush and Asia
Americas evolving relations with East Asia
Edited by Mark Beeson
2 Japan, Australia and Asia-Pacific Security
Edited by Brad Williams andAndrew Newman
3 Regional Cooperation and its Enemies in Northeast Asia
The impact of domestic forces
Edited by Edward Friedman and Sung Chull Kim
4 Energy Security in Asia
Edited by Michael Wesley
5 Australia as an Asia Pacific Regional Power
Friendships in flux?
Edited by Brendan Taylor
6 Securing Southeast Asia
The politics of security sector reform
Mark Beeson and Alex J. Bellamy
7 Pakistans Nuclear Weapons
Bhumitra Chakma
8 Human Security in East Asia
Challenges for collaborative action
Edited by Sorpong Peou
9 Security and International Politics in the South China Sea
Towards a co-operative management regime
Edited by Sam Bateman and Ralf Emmers
10 Japans Peace Building Diplomacy in Asia
Seeking a more active political role
Lam Peng Er
11 Geopolitics and Maritime Territorial Disputes in East Asia
Ralf Emmers
12 North Koreas Military-Diplomatic Campaigns, 19662008
Narushige Michishita
13 Political Change, Democratic Transitions and Security in Southeast Asia
Mely Caballero-Anthony
14 American Sanctions in the Asia-Pacific
Brendan Taylor
15 Southeast Asia and the Rise of Chinese and Indian Naval Power
Between rising naval powers
Edited by Sam Bateman and Joshua Ho
16 Human Security in Southeast Asia
Yukiko Nishikawa
17 ASEAN and the Institutionalization of East Asia
Ralf Emmers
18 India as an Asia Pacific Power
David Brewster
19 ASEAN Regionalism
Cooperation, values and institutionalisation
Christopher B. Roberts
20 Nuclear Power and Energy Security in Asia
Edited by Rajesh Basrur and Koh Swee Lean Collin
21 Maritime Challenges and Priorities in Asia
Implications for regional security
Edited by Joshua Ho and Sam Bateman
22 Human Security and Climate Change in Southeast Asia
Managing risk and resilience
Edited by Lorraine Elliott and Mely Caballero-Anthony
23 Ten Years After 9/11
Rethinking the jihadist threat
Arabinda Acharya
24 Bilateralism, Multilateralism and Asia-Pacific Security
Contending cooperation
Edited by William T. Tow andBrendan Taylor
25 Negotiating with North Korea
The Six Party Talks and the nuclear issue
Leszek Buszynski
26 Indias Ocean
The story of Indias bid for regional leadership
David Brewster
27 Defence Planning and Uncertainty
Preparing for the next Asia-Pacific war
Stephan Frhling
28 The South China Sea Maritime Dispute
Political, legal, and regional perspectives
Edited by Leszek Buszynski and Christopher B. Roberts
29 South Asias Nuclear Security
Bhumitra Chakma
30 The New US Strategy towards Asia
Adapting to the American pivot
Edited by William T. Tow and Douglas Stuart
First published 2015
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2015 selection and editorial material, William T. Tow and Douglas Stuart; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of William T. Tow and Douglas Stuart to be identified as authors of the editorial material, and of the individual authors as authors of their contributions, has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
The new US strategy towards Asia : adapting to the American pivot / edited by William T. Tow and Douglas Stuart.
pages cm. (Routledge security in Asia Pacific series ; 30)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. United StatesForeign relationsAsia. 2. AsiaForeign relations United States. 3. United StatesForeign relations2009- I. Tow, William T., editor. II. Stuart, Douglas T., editor. III. Stuart, Douglas T. Obama's "rebalance" in historical context. Container of (work):
