There is also the geopolitical element. In 2011, the Obama administration announced a “pivot” to Asia. For Washington, this reflected war-weariness, a drive to shift away from the Middle East and Afghanistan, with the seemingly endless wars and heavy costs, and instead toward the most dynamic part of the world economy. The pivot was meant to be a message of strategic reassurance to Asian countries, other than China, that the United States was committed to the region, was not ceding it to Chinese predominance, and indeed would increase its engagement. The pivot was subsequently rebranded as a
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