Subcommittee Hearing: Step or Stumble: The Obama Administration's Pivot to Asia

Hearing
Date:
Location:
2172 Rayburn

Webcast

Opening Statements

Chairman Salmon on the hearing: "As we transition after two full terms of a presidency whose signature foreign policy initiative was a rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific, it is time to take stock of where U.S. policy stands in this critical region. High level contact between U.S. and Asian leaders has never been more frequent, but challenges persist and in some cases, have expanded. Our commitment to the region was anchored by a trade deal that is now floundering. The world is menaced by an increasingly belligerent and dangerous North Korea, and the American security guarantee has been called into question in the South China Sea and elsewhere. Events unfolding in Burma, Hong Kong, and throughout the region call for a reevaluation of U.S. democracy and human rights efforts in Asia, and the threat of radical Islamist extremism lingers. In this hearing, the Subcommittee will hear expert evaluations of the strategic, economic, and human rights dimensions of the rebalance, and form recommendations for the future of U.S. policy in the Asia-Pacific."
Witnesses
Richard J. Ellings, Ph.D. President The National Bureau of Asian Research [full text of statement] [truth in testimony form] Derek M. Scissors, Ph.D. Resident Scholar American Enterprise Institute [full text of statement] [truth in testimony form] Ms. Kelley Currie Senior Fellow Project 2049 Institute [full text of statement] [truth in testimony form] Mr. Barry C. Lynn Director Open Markets Program New America [full text of statement] [truth in testimony form] ____________________________

Hearing transcript (PDF)

Subcommittees
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific (114th Congress)