A Study Of The Obama Administration’s Southeast Asia Policies

On account of Southeast Asia’s active economy and its expanding role of strategic position, as well as the complexity, diversity and uncertainty of this region’s development direction, Obama administration inherited Bush administration’s regional strategic heritage and countered with a substantial adjustment in America’s policy on Southeast Asia in order to safeguard and consolidate his country’s strategic interests in this area. By means of developing economic and trade cooperation and engaging in political dialogue with ASEAN countries, along with democracy extending and keep on increasing military presence in Southeast Asia, Obama administration reshaped the image of U.S. and enhanced her influence, and has almost completed the strategic layout which can be characterized by comprehensive engagement.Absolutely, there are several factors which affect Obama administration’s adjustment in the policy on Southeast Asia. My thesis is based on global and regional situations, in which I emphasized limitations of policy making caused by the domestic factors and Obama’s individual policy guidelines. And, I mainly mentioned that China’s rising soft power in Southeast Asia has influenced America’s strategic adjustment. China is expanding her influence in Southeast Asia because of her rapid growth in economy and military buildup, as a result, the U.S. worries that China has threatened her strategic interests in this region, and that China’s participation in the affairs of Southeast Asia is challenging her dominant right in this area. To a great extent, Obama administration’s adjustment in the policy on Southeast Asia is aimed at weakening China’s influence in Southeast Asia and containing her peaceful rise.The constellation of power in Southeast Asia and modeling regional security order are affected in many aspects by Obama administration’s adjustment in the policy on Southeast Asia. On the one hand, this adjustment plays a positive role in upholding regional stability, and promoting economic development and the acquisition of greater military capability of the ASEAN countries. It’s also very beneficial for the ASEAN to continue to make skillful use of balancing strategy. On the other hand, it has deepened the competition in dominant right of the regional cooperation mechanism in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, there are limits in the development of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship, which resulted in these limited effects.When it comes to China, America’s adjustment in the policy on Southeast Asia has brought challenges to her foreign policy, especially in the South China Sea issue which has garnered particular attention, America’s deeper intervention in Southeast Asia affairs has increased the difficulty for China to solve this issue properly and the security situation in this sea has become more complicated. However, considering the ASEAN’s balancing strategy and the constraints contained in the development of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship, it’s obvious that this adjustment can’t produce more substantial influence to China.