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Washington (AFP)
After completing its withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of conflict, the United States is now focusing on Southeast Asia, where rival superpower China is the number one priority.
An example of the strategic change operated by Washington is that the vice president, Kamala Harris, was traveling in the region during the heavy week as the exit from Afghanistan entered a turbulent final stretch, hoping to reinforce the pressure of her allies against Beijing.
Harris accused Beijing of “acts” that “threaten the established international order”, in particular its aggressive claims to territories in the South China Sea.
His tour of Singapore and Vietnam was seen as an effort by President Joe Biden’s administration to reassure Asian allies, uneasy about the US withdrawal from Kabul following the sudden fall of the Washington-backed Afghan government for nearly 20 years.
Ryan Hass, an international relations specialist at the Brookings Institution, said the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle will not have a lasting impact on Washington’s credibility in Asia.
“The position of the United States in Asia depends on the interests shared with its partners in balancing the rise of China and preserving the lasting peace that has allowed the rapid development of the region,” he told AFP.
“None of those factors are diminished by the events in Afghanistan.” The US interest in East Asia “will open up new possibilities” for the country and its partners in the region, he added.
Lawmaker Adam Smith, who heads the House Committee on the Armed Forces, said the US withdrawal from Afghanistan does not appear to shift the balance between that country and rival superpowers China and Russia.
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He rejected on Tuesday suggestions that the apparent temporary display of US weakness could motivate China to invade Taiwan, or Russia to attack Ukraine, for example.
“I think whoever thinks their (Chinese and Russian) calculations have changed significantly because we removed the last 2,500 soldiers from Afghanistan … I don’t see it that way,” Smith told an online conference.
“There are many other considerations to take into account about the perception of China and Russia about their ability to be aggressive in those parts of the world,” he added.
Derek Grossman, a former Pentagon official now a defense expert at the Rand Corporation think tank, indicated that China may seek to harbor good relations with the Taliban, Islamist militants who fought for 20 years against the United States before returning to power on August 15. .
Beijing could decide to quickly recognize the Taliban government, even if Washington and other Western governments wait to hope to convince the new owners of Afghanistan to moderate their harsh policies.
“China, as a new power in competition with the United States, probably wants to show its unique way of handling international affairs, which tends to be, regularly and in a thoughtful way, contrary to the American one,” Grossman said.
“Recognizing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan would contribute to reinforcing the perception that it is Beijing, and no longer Washington, that determines the agenda and shapes the future regional order,” he said.
© 2021 AFP
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