Abstract
The United States rebalancing strategy was introduced in large part to underscore Washingtons determination to reinvigorate its diplomatic, economic and geopolitical presence and influence in Southeast Asia and in the Asia-Pacific regionat-large. As the Obama administrations time in office draws to a close, policy ambiguities regarding re-balancings purpose and implementation remain and impede US efforts to relate this posture to ASEAN member-states own security concerns. ï‚· Questions about Washingtons propensity to fine-tune the rebalancing must be asked given the lack of attention directed to this issue by the 2016 presidential candidates to date. ï‚· A clear debate has emerged between the rebalancings proponents and critics over its relevance to Southeast Asian order-building, especially given Chinas increasingly robust behaviour concerning territorial issues and its power projection capabilities. ï‚· US maritime allies Japan and Australia have adopted tailored policy initiatives to enhance their own and ASEAN member-states defence capacity-building programmes in accordance with the rebalancing strategys overall vision of regional collective defence.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-12 |
Journal | ISEAS Perspective |
Volume | 2016 |
Issue number | 10 |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |