Tow, William T

Abstract
As the Barack Obama administration moved towards its last year in office, the United States’ relations with ASEAN were ostensibly sound. However, Washington’s future ties with the region remained contingent on larger forces of global change that could undermine such relationships. Most regional leaders quietly welcomed, for example, the American naval destroyer USS Lassen’s passage within the twelve nautical mile territorial limit claimed by China at Subi Reef near the Spratly Islands during late October 2015, as a symbolic demonstration of the United States’ determination to maintain freedom of navigation (FON) in the South China Sea. If China continues to rise, the United States will invariably be viewed by ASEAN policymakers as an indispensable counterweight for maintaining regional stability in Asia. American policy planners, however, are facing increasingly daunting challenges in the Middle East, in Europe and from international terrorism which is increasingly threatening to envelop their homeland. Given the growing intensity of such challenges, matching resources with the capabilities required to implement and sustain a viable U.S. geopolitical footprint in Asia will become increasingly formidable.
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