Rebalancing or De-Balancing: U.S. Pivot and East Asian Order

The U.S. strategy toward Asia in President Barack Obama's first term features pivoting or rebalancing. This article traces the development of the U.S. pivot to Asia from power cooperation to balance of power and analyzes its key components featuring Indo-Pacific linkage, high military profile, and forward-deployed diplomacy in selected multilaterals, minilaterals, and bilaterals. The U.S. pivot has provided misleading reassurance to some U.S. allies and partners, has created a "side-taking'' dilemma for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has increased mutual distrust with China, and has disrupted ongoing regional processes. The article argues that it is the pivot, or rebalancing toward Asia, that has, to a considerable extent, de-balanced the region.