Asia adrift, Asia alone | Mint

Today, barely a decade after President Barack Obama announced a “pivot” to Asia, America’s commitment to the region is as tenuous as it was in 1975. True, formal mutual defense treaties with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and South Korea are still in force, and the US retains bases, and basing rights, in many other places, including Singapore. But relations between the Trump administration and the governments of Asia’s democracies are a far cry from what one typically finds between long-standing allies. Instead, they more closely resemble those seen in commercial transactions, with shared values and security concerns counting for nothing.