Misunderstanding America's 'Pacific pivot'

Misunderstanding America's 'Pacific pivot': Barack Obama's announcement late last year that the US was turning its attention "back to the Asia-Pacific" sent many in the region, particularly China, into a tizzy. Others scratched their heads, noting that the US had in fact never left. But this announcement was not just a recognition that global economic power is shifting to Asia; it was a political gambit that disarmed Republican foreign and defense policy. - Benjamin A Shobert (Jul 9, '12)