According to the Asia Times, since the U.S. government proposed the "rebalance to Asia" strategy under Obama, it has never truly implemented it, let alone "returning" to Asia in the current complex and changing international situation.

This concept, known as strategic rebalancing, was originally promised to shift the focus of American diplomacy, military, and economic efforts from the Middle East and Europe to the Asia-Pacific region, in response to China's rise.

However, after more than a decade, the United States remains deeply entrenched in the chaos of the Middle East and the war quagmire in Europe, while the strategic initiative in the Asia-Pacific region gradually slips toward China.

The so-called return to Asia appears visionary, but in reality, it is just empty talk, never translated into effective policy actions.

The article points out that the U.S. strategic thinking has made serious miscalculations, still stuck in the inertia of self-dominance, ignoring that the distribution logic of international power in the 21st century has been completely changed.

Obama

The U.S. has long had an anti-China strategy, not to mention decades ago, but even after the 21st century.

The return to Asia was a major diplomatic framework proposed by the Obama administration in 2011, initially aiming to withdraw from the costly Middle East battlefield and shift the strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region, which is expected to be the most dynamic area for global growth.

Its core content includes strengthening military alliances with Asian allies, expanding economic participation, deepening relations with emerging powers, promoting participation in regional multilateral mechanisms, and enhancing regional deterrence through U.S. military deployments.

In other words, this is a global scheduling plan where the U.S. attempts to create space, prioritizing the containment of China, given limited global strategic resources.

However, this strategy encountered multiple constraints during its implementation. First, it is difficult to get rid of the Middle East, and it cannot let go of Europe. Second, domestic fiscal pressure and public disapproval have made this strategic rebalancing unable to find a stable foothold.

The strategic heat in Asia is increasing, but the U.S. presence is weakening, resulting in the situation of "wanting to return but not being able to."

Biden

The biggest real factor hindering the U.S. return to Asia, on the surface, is the Middle East and Europe.

For a long time, regardless of whether the U.S. government is Democratic or Republican, it has always revolved around the Middle East and Europe in actual actions: dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue, maintaining the U.S.-Israel alliance, and combating terrorism in the Middle East; in Europe, continuously rallying NATO, countering Russia, and supporting Ukraine.

Especially after the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022, the U.S. investment in European security has rapidly increased, with military aid, energy coordination, and diplomatic engagement all upgrading, almost becoming the top priority of Biden's foreign agenda.

At the same time, the Middle East has not become quiet, with the Gaza conflict and the Iran nuclear deal requiring continued U.S. investment in intelligence, funds, and military forces.

This structural entanglement leaves the U.S. without any extra strategic space to fulfill the promise of prioritizing Asia.

On the surface, the U.S. does occasionally send warships near China's surroundings for "freedom of navigation" operations and joint military exercises, but these actions are essentially to show their presence, rather than true strategic leadership.

Compared to the investments and costs in the Middle East and Europe, there is a world of difference.

Trump

It needs to be clarified that the U.S. is not unwilling to return to Asia, but rather lacks the ability to achieve this goal.

Even politicians like Trump, who pushed anti-China policies to new heights, could not do it.

During his first term, Trump was highly anti-China, causing a disruptive change in Sino-U.S. relations.

After returning for a second term, he remained unrepentant, even demanding to stop conflicts in Europe and the Middle East during his campaign and to rally Russia, attempting to encircle China comprehensively. However, what happened?

Now, Zelenskyy said that the U.S. will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine. Although the money comes from Europe, it still indicates that the U.S. will remain tied to Europe now.

As for the Middle East, it's even more obvious. His father bombed another ally, and there are a group of allies that need to sanction his father, which can be described as "pressing down one pot and raising another," pressing here and there, but ultimately failing to contain them.

This also means that the further failure of the return to Asia strategy. It can also be seen that this strategy was originally based on fantasy, and now it cannot succeed, nor will it in the future.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7551257545898312255/

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