A spring-song for the 'Pacific president'

[unhappycamper]

http://atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-270214.html



A spring-song for the 'Pacific president'
By Ernest Z Bower
Feb 27, '14

During a November 2009 trip to Tokyo, President Barack Obama underlined his intent to lead the United States to new levels of engagement in the Asia-Pacific and harkened back to his upbringing in Indonesia and Hawaii, calling himself the United States' "first Pacific president". As he approaches the spring of 2014, Obama must decide if he will fulfill this legacy.

It is not only the president's place in history that is on the line, but the United States' national security and economic future. The geopolitical calculus clearly defines the need for the United States to be comprehensively invested in Asia. But the country is stuck in an anachronistic and self-absorbed political atmosphere, where politicians view words such as "trade", "Asia", and "foreign policy" as negatives that should be avoided. A paradigm shift in US thinking is needed.

The United States needs to recognize that the country's jobs, safety, and future are inextricably tied to Asia. The outdated Cold War mindset and myopia choking cogent policymaking in Washington must be overcome. The only way for President Obama to live up to his self-described goal to make the United States a leader in the Asia-Pacific is for him to tell Americans the truth, shift the political rhetoric, and lead.

The president holds all the necessary levers to drive this overdue shift, but he needs to act now, not wait until after November's mid-term elections to set a course that will anchor US interests in Asia.