“One of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next

“One of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next decade will… be to lock in a substantially increased investment — diplomatic, economic, strategic, and otherwise — in the Asia-Pacific region,” writes secretary of state Hillary Clinton in an article in the newly released November edition of Foreign Policy magazine.

The article-entitled “America’s Pacific Century”- states the Obama administration intends to increase the United States presence in the Asia-Pacific as it withdraws from the Middle East. Clinton says Americans must resist isolationist impulses at home because the United States’ prosperity is increasingly intertwined with events in Asia.

In truth, the article is likely more geared towards signaling U.S. intentions to Asian audiences than winning support from domestic ones. China has recently been “getting tough” with many of its neighbors and has even warned them not to hide behind their alliance with Washington. Beijing’s assertiveness has led many of its neighbors to seek out a stronger relationship with Washington. As Clinton so modestly puts it in the article, “The [Asia-Pacific] region is eager for our leadership and our business-perhaps more so than at any time in modern history.”

Nonetheless, many of China’s neighbors worry that America’s domestic priorities will trump foreign policy and force Washington to disengage from the region.

Clinton addresses these concerns in the article writing, “In Asia, they ask whether we are really there to stay, whether we are likely to be distracted again by events elsewhere, whether we can make — and keep — credible economic and strategic commitments, and whether we can back those commitments with action. The answer is: We can, and we will.”

The secretary of state then lays out a six-point plan for what she calls “forward-deployed” diplomacy in Asia:

· Strengthening bilateral security alliances

· Deepening our working relations with emerging powers including China

· Engaging with regional multilateral institutions

· Expanding trade and investment

· Forgoing a broad-based military presence

· And advancing democracy and human rights.

Clinton also calls for building “a web of partnerships and institutions that is as durable and as consistent with American interests and values” as those that the United States has built with Europe since WWII. Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who appears to consult with Clinton, put forth a similar idea in his new book On China.

In a major foreign policy speech on Monday, Republican Presidential candidate and Obama’s former ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, said the United States must plan for an “Asia-Pacific Century.”

http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-washington-dc/hillary-clinton-america-s-embarking-on-asia-pacific-century