The Obama Administration`s (Neoliberal) Reengagement Policy in East Asia: Implications for U.S.-China Relations in the Twenty-first Century

Abstract

This article examines the influence of neoliberalism on President Barack Obama`s foreign policy agenda and reengagement policy in East Asia. Using the basic tenets of neoliberalism, it critiques the Bush administration`s post 9/11 foreign policy. It also compares neoliberalism and realism/neoconservatism as U.S. foreign policy approaches to the security challenges of the twenty-first century. The article goes on to analyze the ideological perspective of President Obama`s foreign policy agenda in East Asia. Obama`s apparently neoliberal campaign statements and official pronouncements are concretized in his actual foreign policy decisions and actions. This new mode of conducting foreign policy has strengthened Washington`s relations with its Asian friends and allies, but has complicated U.S.-China relations. In conclusion, the article contends that the realization of the neoliberal agenda in U.S. foreign policy in East Asia is contingent on four factors: prioritization of East Asia over other pressing foreign policy concerns; the competence and skills of the Obama administration`s key foreign policy advisers; U.S. economic recovery and renewed competitiveness; and President Obama`s reelection in 2012.