The Focal Points of the US Strategic Pivot to Asia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 دانشکده حقوق و علوم سیاسی دانشگاه تهران

2 Department of Regional Studies, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran-Iran

10.22080/jpir.2025.25938.1346

Abstract

The US pivot to Asia is a strategy that the US approved during the Obama era and was clearly announced in 2011. Considering the unexpected economic growth of China and Chinese threats in East Asia in terms of military and economic interests of America, Obama tried to direct America's attention and resources towards Asia-Pacific in general and East Asia in particular. The focal point of America’s approach was to contain and manage China’s growing power in the political, economic, and security fields. Although this issue has been discussed a lot, from the point of view of international political economy and where some economic aspects have high political value (in terms of defense and security affairs) and are important in determining the power position of these two rivals, little attention has been paid. Considering this weakness, which can greatly reduce the importance of the issue, the current article seeks to examine the integrated and simultaneous role of focal components in America's strategic turn towards East Asia. In other words, these components are a combination of political and economic components which until now have been mostly seen separately and less combined or integrated and considered at the same time. This article examines these components with the influence of the theory of hegemonic stability, which has been the main concern of theorists in this regard.

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