Obama Faces Asia Allies Uncertain of U.S. Commitment
By Nicole Gaouette and Phil Mattingly Apr 21, 2014 6:00 PM ET
President Barack Obama’s trip to Asia this week brings him face-to-face with allies who have grown uncertain about his commitment to the region.
Even with the president’s pledge to continue “rebalancing” U.S. policy toward Asia, the region’s leaders have been unnerved by Obama’s focus on the crises in Syria and Ukraine, military budget cuts, and that the U.S. wants a new “great power relationship” with China that they worry will reduce Japan and other U.S. allies to second-class status.
“There are questions in the region, both in the media but also within governments, particularly among allies, about American staying power and the credibility of American commitments,” said Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington policy research organization.
Attempts to reassure allies -- and mediate tensions among them -- will compete with Obama’s intended emphasis on economics, security and making progress toward the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. He goes first to Japan, arriving tomorrow in Tokyo, then travels to South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines before returning to Washington April 29.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-21/obama-faces-asia-allies-uncertain-of-u-s-commitment.html
