January 01, 2018
US Alliances and Trump’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ Policy
Any single year’s events can mask the true direction of longer-term trends. Time will tell, but I believe this is the case with respect to US policy toward the Asia-Pacific region during 2017. Undeniably, the year has seen momentum swings, nuclear danger and heightened uncertainty. But for all the disruption, the fundamental US commitment to regional allies is steadfast. Further, President Donald Trump’s November trip to Asia shows that he intends to build on the agenda of his predecessor by forging new and stronger partnerships in pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Five Geopolitical Challenges
The world is beset with grave international security challenges. Despite this trend — indeed, because of it — alliances are rising in value. Resurgent major-power competition, combined with upstart regional actors and persistent transnational terrorism, create the impression that America’s relative military and economic power is in rapid decline. Although I would argue that perceptions can deceive (America remains strong), the salient point is that the US cannot and need not face these challenges alone. Fortunately, it possesses something no other power or group can claim: an extensive array of capable, committed allies and partners with a variety of overlapping interests and values. The Trump administration is acutely aware of this fact, even as it presses allies into sharing risks and burdens hitherto unknown.
Before turning to the alliances in Asia, it is worthwhile considering the major challenges that US foreign policy faces globally: a fragmenting rules-based order; the rise of Asia (including, but not limited to, China’s re-emergence as a great power); new questions relating to the reliability of the US; mounting global challenges; and problems of governance that spill over into neighboring states and regions.
Read the full commentary in Global Asia.
More from CNAS
-
The Pentagon’s AUKUS Review is an Opportunity — If Done Right
The reality is that U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and Taiwan has starkly highlighted for policymakers the real limits of the U.S. industrial base to meet demand across a...
By Jennifer Hendrixson White
-
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security
75 Years Post-Korean War: Can Trust Be Rebuilt Under the New Administration?As President Lee Jae Myung begins his term, he's taking visible steps to reset the tone with North Korea: halting propaganda broadcasts and reemphasizing past military agreeme...
By Dr. Go Myong-Hyun
-
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
Cyber Crossroads in the Indo-PacificThe Indo-Pacific faces a cyber crossroads. Down one path lies deeper military, intelligence, and economic ties between Washington and its key allies and partners in this strat...
By Vivek Chilukuri, Lisa Curtis, Janet Egan, Morgan Peirce, Elizabeth Whatcott & Nathaniel Schochet
-
Indo-Pacific Security / Middle East Security
What Happened to the U.S. ‘Asia First’ Doctrine?U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific should observe that the Trump administration’s strategic approach to foreign policy is a moving target....
By Adham Sahloul