Asian Pivot, Take Two: Obama, now in Asia, has four more years to realize his risky bet on the region. But strategic headaches abound.

But Michael Auslin, unlike Ms. Flournoy, does note the potential for problems on the Korean Peninsula:

Korea is another headache for the Administration. After being outmaneuvered and embarrassed by new leader Kim Jong Un over February's failed missile and nuclear agreement, Mr. Obama has to reassess his North Korea strategy. Does the U.S. want to put more pressure on Pyongyang, or possibly re-enter negotiations? Even on this question the U.S. risks being outmaneuvered again: All contenders for December's South Korean presidential elections have indicated a willingness to move away from current President Lee Myung-bak's hard line and consider a revived version of the Sunshine Policy that gave credibility to Kim Jong Il in the 1990s.

V/R

Dave

Asian Pivot, Take Two

Obama, now in Asia, has four more years to realize his risky bet on the region. But strategic headaches abound.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323353204578128533776559640.html#printMode

By MICHAEL AUSLIN

President Barack Obama is celebrating his re-election by trying to make good on his promised pivot to Asia. Not only is the President in the region for the East Asian Summit in Cambodia—he has also dispatched his Secretaries of State and Defense on extended visits as well.

Showing up may constitute 90% of diplomacy. But at a time of numerous territorial disputes and leadership upheavals, Mr. Obama may have bitten off more than he can chew over the next four years.

The Administration's agenda this month is an unusual start. Unlike traditional trips that include old allies like Japan or major powers like China, Mr. Obama's Asia 2.0 policy appears to begin with Southeast Asia and smaller nations. Mr. Obama, along with Secretary of StateHillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, will visit Thailand and Burma before heading onward to Phnom Penh for his second East Asia Summit. Mrs. Clinton has also just visited Singapore, and both she and Mr. Panetta stopped in isolated Perth, Australia, for ministerial consultations.

These itineraries are consistent with Mr. Obama's stated desire to increase America's presence across Asia-Pacific (and the implicit U.S. goal of blunting China's growing influence). But regardless of how this week's presidential trip goes, visiting smaller nations won't address the major dangers facing the region.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323353204578128533776559640.html#printMode

(Continued at the link above - however, subscription required to WSJ)