Kerry defends our pivot to the Pacific:
Secretary of State John Kerry defended the reorientation of Washington's foreign policy toward Asia on Monday as he ended a trip to the region dominated by concerns about North Korea's nuclear programs.
The "rebalancing" of the United States toward Asia has caused unease in Beijing, which has tended to focus on the military dimensions of the strategy and to view it as a way to contain China's rise.
After World War I, we emphasized the Pacific and put our newest and best Navy vessels there. Only the Cold War got us to pivot to the Atlantic (and Mediterranean extension).
And for God's sake, the pivot is slow, gradual, and quite possibly will end with America having less power in the Pacific if we have a slightly higher percentage of a much smaller military facing Asia.
UPDATE: Clearly our re-pivot to the Pacific isn't going over better with the Chinese by thinking of it as an action which reverses our Cold War pivot to the Atlantic:
China's defense ministry made a thinly veiled attack on the United States on Tuesday for increasing tensions in the Asia-Pacific by ramping up its military presence and alliances in the region, days after the top U.S. diplomat visited Beijing.
China is uneasy with what the United States has called the "rebalancing" of forces as Washington winds down the war in Afghanistan and renews its attention further east.
China says the policy has emboldened Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam in longstanding territorial disputes with Beijing.
Yeah, we're such jerks for allowing smaller nations to resist Chinese bullying and aggression.
UPDATE: More on this insanity. I think the Chinese are just hurt because other than North Korea and Cambodia, everyone in the region is worried about Peking's intentions. Think about it. This ancient civilization hasn't managed to win one real friend in their own neighborhood.
