U.S. pivot to Asia losing momentum/
Kym Bergmann
- 2015
When the Obama administration took office in January 2009, one of its key foreign policy objectives was to switch focus from the Middle East to the Asia Pacific region. There were two underlying motives: the disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003 had drained the U.S. of blood and treasure for no discernible benefit, on the contrary, and during the same period, the economy of China was surging to remarkable extent. With economic power comes the potential for corresponding military might and by the start of the 21st century Beijing was showing signs of not only developing power projection capabilities but being prepared to use them.