Enhancing the U.S. Rebalance Toward Asia: Elevating Allies
Abstract
After China responded with belligerence to the Obama administration's initial offers of partnership in 2009, by 2010 the United States had embarked on a new strategy of a pivot toward Asia, later rebranded as a rebalancing. This strategy contains two interrelated elements: a desire to pursue deeper engagement with China while at the same time preparing for a new level of American and military capabilities to continue to deter China, a primary (though not exclusive) goal of the Air-Sea Battle (ASB) concept. It appears that China s growing antiaccess/area-denial (A2/AD) and accumulating power projection capabilities, tied to an increasing penchant to use its economic and military power to secure its interests, will require a continuation of the rebalancing strategy in some form. However, especially in the Pacific, the success of this U.S. response to China requires greater allied and friendly nation contributions from a region that abjures North Atlantic Treaty Organization style alliances and wishes to retain growing mutually beneficial commercial relationships with China, as does the United States. Yet this article suggests that these goals are not exclusive and can be achieved while strengthening U.S. leadership by pursuing two broad paths: defining acceptable behavior for China while strengthening deterrence. As has happened in Southeast Asia s response to China s belligerence in the South China Sea, Washington should lead a pursuit of multiple codes of conduct that define minimum expected behavior from China in further realms such as other territorial disputes, cyberspace, proliferation, outer space, and military transparency, a process that should include but not be dependent on Beijing s participation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA617152
Entities
People
- Brian Johnson
- James M. Keagle
- Richard D. Fisher Jr.
Organizations
- National Defense University