Policy Paper

U.S. Strategy toward the Indo-Pacific Region: A Distracted Pacific Power?

“The United States is an Indo-Pacific power… In the years ahead, as the region drives as much as two-thirds of global economic growth, its influence will only grow—as will its importance to the United States.”

--The United States Indo-Pacific Strategy, February 2022[1]

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States (U.S.) strategy toward Asia (Indo)-Pacific has faced a dilemma. While it clearly recognizes the long-term strategic importance of the region, Washington’s attempts to maintain its strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific region have been repeatedly distracted by the more kinetic conflicts elsewhere. As the Second Trump administration’s inauguration raises concerns about the dramatic change in U.S. foreign policy, now is a good opportunity to reflect on the evolution of U.S. strategy toward the Indo-Pacific in the last two decades.

[1] The White House. The Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States. February 2022. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/U.S.-Indo-Pacific-Strategy.pdf