Ross, Robert S

Abstract
In the twenty-first century, the foremost US national security interest remains what it has been since 1776—to ensure a balance of power in its two transoceanic flanking regions that keeps them internally divided.US security has continually depended on this balance of power to prevent European and East Asian powers from considering expansion into the Western Hemisphere. Whereas, in the early years of the republic, the United States could count on power balancing among European and East Asian great powers, since World War II, it has had to participate directly in balance-of-power politics in both regions. During the Cold War, it faced challenges in Europe and East Asia that required simultaneous strategic engagement in both regions.
The current balance-of-power challenge for the United States is in East Asia. Unless balanced by the United States, China’s rise could yield regional hegemony. None of its Asian neighbors has the resources necessary to balance China’s rise. Japan’s decline has been precipitous, and China’s other neighbors are too small to present a challenge. A balance of power in East Asia will require direct US strategic involvement to maintain a divided region.
During the first term of the Obama administration, the United States undertook a strategic initiative to strengthen its presence in East Asia. Often called the US “pivot” toward East Asia, this policy has been characterized by development of enhanced strategic cooperation with a wide range of East Asia countries, including traditional allies and new security partners. In many ways the pivot to East Asia has redefined US policy there, with potential implications for great-power relations and regional stability.
The first part of this article examines the underlying and fundamental national security interests that have informed US grand strategy since the nation’s founding and its implications for US national security interests in East Asia, both in the past and in the twenty-first century. The second part considers the long-term implications of the rise of China and post–Cold War objectives and policies that have sustained the regional balance of power. The third part looks at the Obama administration’s pivot to East Asia and its implications for US-China cooperation and for US national security interests. The article concludes by examining implications of the pivot strategy for balancing the rise of China and the long-term prospects for US security and regional stability.
PDF