The Barack Obama administration's "rebalance to Asia" strategy has received widespread attention globally. In Europe, the rebalance has evoked fears that the United States might be abandoning old allies in light of the need to cope with new challenges elsewhere. In Asia, the rebalance has evoked mixed reviews.
China views it as a subtle form of containment whereas other players have doubted its effectiveness.
The moot point is whether the rebalance to Asia can in fact resolve the fundamental challenges facing the United States of America and its allies in the region.
Reflecting on these incisive perspectives at an Aspen Institute India session on "Pivot or Pirouette: The U.S. Re-balance to Asia", acclaimed author Ashley Tellis asserted that U.S. will continue its efforts to rebalance Asian political order in the wake of China's rise in the international arena.
In an engaging presentation, Tellis, a senior associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,said: "U.S. looks at Asia because that is where the action is. Since the end of the Second World War, U.S. engagement in Asia has been with three objectives, which are to protect its allies from adverse players, to preserve peace among U.S. allies in Asia, and to dampen efforts toward proliferation. However, transition in China and its rise have triggered anxieties in the regional political order, on whether the U.S. will be able to protect the interests of allies which were till recently taken for granted. I would like to stress on one thing-U.S. is still the strongest state in terms of any matrix of power, despite China's rise."
Outlining the future of U.S. role in Asia, Tellis opined, "U.S. is going to be present as an active participant in multilateral arrangements. However, whether or not the rebalance strategy has been effective is debatable, since it is too early to draw conclusions. Before consolidating its engagements in Asia, it is imperative for the U.S. to firstly examine its financial infrastructure, and secondly, recommit itself to a series of ongoing engagements with several players in Asia."
Tellis is an internationally renowned expert specializing in international security, defense, and Asian strategic issues.
While on assignment to the U.S. Department of State as senior adviser to the under secretary of state for political affairs, he was intimately involved in negotiating the civil nuclear agreement with India.
He is the author of India's Emerging Nuclear Posture and co-author of Interpreting China's Grand Strategy: Past, Present, and Future.
