Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last Friday. His words offer up a broad assessment of the regional challenges confronting the US and adumbrate, in broad strokes, the “principles of US engagement in the Asia-Pacific.”
In one revealing passage, Campbell states,
“the Asia-Pacific region is home to many of the most pressing security challenges of the modern era. What is most often absent in our discussion about the “Asian miracle” are the challenges posed by uneven growth, poverty, and weak and ineffective governments. Hundreds of millions have yet to benefit from the fruits of the Asian miracle, and income inequality continues to strain the capacity of governments to respond. Perhaps the most significant unintended consequence of the Asian miracle has been the acceleration of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Asia’s densely populated littoral nations will likely suffer as climatic variations target the region. Compounding these challenges is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, extremist groups in Southeast Asia, unresolved territorial disputes, and growing competition over energy and natural resources.”
In the course of his statement, Campbell attempts to suss out the future trajectory of US policy in the region and how these challenges will be met with a new leadership under Obama and a re-invigorated regional presence.
The testimony comes at a time when many are questioning US policy imperatives in the region – including a hardline approach to negotiations over the US military presence in Japan, internet woes with China, Obama slated to visit the Dalai Lama, little progress with North Korea, to name but a few – and as such it should be highly scrutinized and energetically discussed.
Your thoughts are invited here.
The entire testimony, including video, can be accessed online here.
