Die „Rückkehr der USA". Obamas Asienpolitik

Abstract

From an American perspective, Europe has receded into the far distance since the Cold War's end. Apart from the lucrative transatlantic economic relations, the old continent is no longer strategically relevant and is only of interest when Europeans are in a position to contribute to the resolution of problems in other world regions. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, American security experts see rising Asian powers, above all China and India, as the future strategic challenge. With its turn toward Asia, the United States is not only responding to its newthreat perception and economic dependency, it is also aiming to redistribute its "burden of global responsibility". On the one side, traditional allies in Europe will be animated to up their contribution. On the other, Washington will urge democracies in Asia to do their part to further a liberal world order. To this end, multilateral organizations such as the U.N. and NATO will be reformed. A globalized NATO would be one of many multilateral forums, both formal and informal, that would contribute to the creation of a new networked liberal world order. Henceforth, Washington intends to make use of institutions in Asia, for example APEC and ASEAN, to further its own conception of order in the region.