(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) WASHINGTON IS contemplating a review of its foreign engagements. If reports are to be believed, then the Asia-Pacific region is likely to be its anchorage in terms of geostrategic mobility.
The Pentagon plans to station at least 60 per cent of its warships and other sea-borne artillery in the Pacific Sea, just on the mouth of China Sea and the lower Indo-Australian basins. This new approach comes at the cost of antagonising China, which views Washington's flexing of muscles as part of a policy to browbeat its advances on the Western horizons of economics, trade and investments.
Though the United States and Europe desperately need the Chinese succour, it is contested by virtue of the dragon's assertiveness as a would-be superpower. Thus at times when the US is abandoning its presence in Afghanistan and continues to retain little of its physical presence in the Middle East, this new shift is likely to create ripples with not only China, but also Russia, Australia and a number of Asean states.
So is the White House policy in terms of drone and destruction in Southwest Asia. With President Obama owning responsibility for the strikes and taking due credit, as a political-cum-strategic plan, the time has come for the trio of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US to re-evaluate their modus operandi in the war against terrorism.
Al Qaeda and the like, who are faceless indeed, as they pop up off and on with new names and nomenclatures, cannot be defeated or demolished through piecemeal efforts of 'dropping silver bullets', as drones are called. What needs to be in place is a strategy that brings on board the locals of the area by furthering development and participation in governance. At the same time, issues ranging from logistics to operational methods and from intelligence sharing to policy perspectives' need review under the canons of broadened acceptability.
It's only in eradicating the symptoms that have made them thrive in this part of the world that the Al Qaeda can be defeated. It's also time to reflect on the morality and efficacy of the present robust offshore policy by the United States.
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