Asia remains US' priority

Ukraine crisis won't force Washington to change 'rebalancing' to Asia-Pacific policy as it continues to focus on containing China

The impact of the Ukraine crisis on strategic international relations has started emerging. Many people are wondering whether it will influence the "pivot to Asia" policy of the United States.

The Ukraine crisis has indeed had an effect on the US' Asia-Pacific policy. Despite continuing its high-profile involvement in the Asia-Pacific, the US is perturbed because of its deep involvement in Ukraine. The US has used sanctions, its favorite non-military weapon, to browbeat Russia (for annexing the Crimea region of Ukraine). It is helping Ukraine's interim government in several ways, and has strengthened military support for its East European allies and consolidated NATO's collective defense. The US has terminated NATO's cooperation with Russia, too, and helped the European Union reduce its reliance on Russian oil and gas supplies.

But, at the same time, it has been negotiating with Russia. The US and Russian presidents have held several conversations over the phone and their foreign ministers have met quite a few times in an effort to strike a deal over Ukraine.

Amid all this, the US has strived to maintain its involvement in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Eastern Europe. For the US, the importance of the Middle East has been declining because it is approaching "energy independence" and the significance of Eastern Europe in the short term is increasing because of the worsening Ukraine crisis. But the Asia-Pacific remains the "priority among priorities" for the US because its strategic value is "appreciating". Three factors prove this contention.

First, the US continues to strengthen its military presence in the Asia-Pacific. The Wall Street Journal recently published a report, "US Marines rebuilding capacity in Asia-Pacific", saying that, with tensions in East Asia escalating over maritime disputes, the US Marine Corps is reinforcing its presence in the region by upgrading its amphibious capabilities. The point to be noted is that the US Marines are consolidating their presence in the Asia-Pacific and trying to form a trilateral front with the Philippines and Japan to act as a deterrence against China at a time when the Pentagon is cutting its budget.

Second, even at this crucial moment in the Ukraine crisis, senior US military and political leaders continue to frequently visit the Asia-Pacific, using their military diplomacy to maintain their strategic superiority in the region. US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel began his fourth Asia-Pacific trip in early April. And at the first "US-ASEAN Defense Forum" in Hawaii, where defense ministers of all 10 ASEAN member states were present, he highlighted the importance of "humanitarian assistance and disaster response", with The Los Angeles Times quoting Hagel as saying that there would be no let-up in the US' Asia-Pacific strategy.

That Hagel flew to Hawaii to meet with ASEAN defense ministers at a time when Russia was reportedly massing its border with Ukraine with troops shows that the Asia-Pacific is of foremost concern to the US.