ABSTRACT
Calling the twenty-first century the “Asia-Pacific Century” is becoming common. With Asia’s dramatic transformation, sustained economic growth, and widespread military modernization, it is understandable why so many see Asia as a region on the rise and why it is increasingly at the center of US foreign policy. As the 2011 National Military Strategy states, “The Nation’s strategic priorities and interests will increasingly emanate from the Asia-Pacific region.”1 Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton underscores this point in her Foreign Policy article, saying that “harnessing Asia’s growth and dynamism is central to American economic and strategic interests.”2 That is, US foreign policy will follow the shifting winds that carry the nation’s interests around the globe.
