Asian Perceptions of the Rebalance

Part of the Global Forecast 2015

Three years have passed since President Barack Obama announced the U.S. “rebalance” to Asia. A recent CSIS survey found that 79 percent of strategic elites in Asia support the rebalance, with opposition mainly coming from China where only 23 percent were in support. Yet, as enthusiastic as most Asian observers are about a renewed U.S. focus on their region, the rebalance or “pivot” to Asia has been overshadowed by doubts regarding the administration’s ability to follow through. In the CSIS survey, 51 percent of elites questioned whether the rebalance has been effectively resourced or implemented. Concerns center on three questions.

Zack Cooper