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The Obama Administration’s Pivot to Asia: What is it? What are its Implications?

Clark Sorensen MW 1:30-3:20 THO 331

In an October 11, 2011 article in Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote that “the United States stands at a pivot point” and “One of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next decade will, therefore be to lock in a substantially increased investment –diplomatic, economic, strategic, and otherwise—in the Asia-Pacific region.” This idea, now known as the Obama Administration’s “Pivot to Asia” was supposed to signal a shift in American attention from a Middle East/European perspective focus, to a focus on the large and fast-growing economies of East and Southeast Asia. This has tended to be interpreted by China as a “China containment policy”, while domestic critics have wondered if the “pivot” ever even took place. This task force will focus on defining what a pivot to Asia could be, whether it is primarily an economic or strategic policy, and make an assessment about its benefits and dangers for the US and the world in East Asia.

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