It Is Too Early to Bad-Mouth the U.S.

At the moment, a weak economy, debt crisis and high unemployment have hampered the international influence of the United States. Many people in the international community have started to “badmouth” the U.S. Some in China have also joined the chorus. However, will the U.S. continue to erode quickly, on a path to “premature death”?

To restore America’s “domineering” position and confidence, as well as his re-election bid, President Obama is actively formulating global strategies to achieve three crucial goals. First is to shift a comprehensive anti-terrorism focus to the economy. “Economic worries have replaced the fears of terrorism.”* For example, on a recent Asia trip, Obama talked mainly about the economy rather than terrorism. Visiting Scholar with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Foundation, David Rothkopf, declared, “From Middle East conflicts to Asia’s strategic interests, from unilateralism to new balance of power diplomacy, the shift in focus may be the most important U.S. global posturing since the end of the Cold War.”*

Second, is to accelerate strategy in the east, and foster “America’s Pacific Age.” With the gradual U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, Washington has accelerated the pace of Asia-Pacific strategy. Obama’s high-profile trip to Asia in November announced that “America is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay,” and intended to reshape its leadership role in the Pacific. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also wrote that “The Asia-Pacific region has become a key global political driving force, the use of Asia’s growth and vitality will be the core of U.S. economic and strategic interests.”* Therefore, the U.S. needs to speed up the transformation of foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific regions, the establishment of diplomatic “frontier deployment” and “follow the six key actions, namely, strengthen the bilateral security alliance; foster better working relationships with emerging powers, including China; participate in regional multilateral institutions; expand trade and investment; create a broad-based military presence; promote democracy and human rights.”* Thus, the new U.S. Asia-Pacific strategies are a combination of smart and soft power to achieve optimum results, and to further establish its hegemony in the region.

Third, is to adjust Middle East policy from enforcing pro-U.S. Arab regimes to a firm support of regional reform that suits a U.S. ideal in a stable and smooth transition of power. Having overthrown the Gadhafi regime in Libya, deserted President Saleh of Yemen and attempted to topple the Syrian government, all the while keeping an eye on Iran by applying high pressure, the United States is working on building a democratic model in Egypt. The U.S. has continued to lend political support to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies to secure its own interests. The initiative has achieved some success, but the region is still volatile. There could be occasional turmoil beyond U.S. expectations.

On the domestic front, the U.S. government has “three musts.” First is to reduce the unemployment rate that’s currently at 9 percent. On September 8, Obama proposed an employment stimulus program to both the House and Senate that included a package of lower taxes and increased spending up to $447 billion. The core of the proposal is lower payroll taxes. Obama said that a trade agreement signed during the Asia-Pacific trade would “support 130,000 American jobs” and help the United States “to achieve the 2014 goal of doubling U.S. exports.”* In addition, the Fed launched new stimulus measures, “deciding to adjust its $2.65 trillion securities portfolio, in order to reduce long-term interest rates.”* Lowering interest rates would also boost investment and consumption, and “stimulate” the troubled real estate market. The second “must” is leadership in science and technology. The U.S. government continues to increase high-tech and new weapons R & D investment, but must build an advantage in clean energy in order to seize the international high road. In medicine, there are new breakthroughs in the United States. The third “must” is military force. Although the U.S. budget deficit is high, military spending is not affected much. U.S. aircraft carriers dominate the sea and unmanned aerial vehicles fly rampant, freely violating sovereign countries’ airspace. The U.S. military has established many bases and placed troops overseas in order to achieve checks and balances.

Thus, in the foreseeable future, U.S. “superpower” status will remain stable, with no peers. As former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said: “America’s national power has declined slightly compared to immediately after World War II and the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union in the early 1990s but, compared to other countries, the United States is still very strong with no sign of declining.”*

* Editor’s note: These quotes, while accurately translated, could not be verified.