In November 2011, Barack Obama made his first (and long-awaited) official visit to Australia. Australia and the United States share a close relationship, but this visit was more significant than usual.
With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, and the global centre of economic gravity shifting to Asia, Obama came to Australia not just to bolster our alliance but to sell a message: America’s strategic ‘pivot’ towards the Asia-Pacific.
In his speech to the Parliament, Obama announced the strengthening of our defence cooperation, primarily by increasing the number of US troops stationed in Darwin. But this speech, like his other speeches throughout the weeklong Asia-Pacific tour, was also crafted for a wider Asian audience.
A few weeks before the tour, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began outlining this policy shift. In a cover story for Foreign Policy, she said: ‘One of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next decade will … be to lock in a substantially increased investment – diplomatic, economic, strategic and otherwise – in the Asia-Pacific region … We are prepared to lead.’
America has long been the preponderant military power in Southeast Asia. But since the end of the Cold War, it has been dogged by the perception that its interest in the region has waned – sentiments exacerbated by terrorism and Washington’s focus on wars in the Middle East.
Now with China emerging as a major world power, and tensions in the hotly disputed South China Sea running high, America is especially keen to bolster its leadership credentials in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asian countries approach America and China quite differently, but all see America’s presence as a useful way of balancing a growing China. Recent dramatic policy shifts by Vietnam and Burma highlight this. Many of these countries have only recently been free of colonialism, and value regional autonomy and sovereignty above all else. They may have different reasons for welcoming America’s renewed interest in the region, but they welcome it nevertheless.
Jessica Brown is a Research Fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies. This is an extract of a speech she will give on Tuesday evening at the CIS. Click here to register for this event.