U.S. cannot afford another 'lost decade' responding to China, authors say

Launch a new pivot to Asia and establish equilibrium, Blackwill and Fontaine argue

The American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan sails with Japanese and U.S. destroyers in the Philippine Sea in July 2020. The authors of a new book consider Japan's rising defense profile as one of the biggest developments in Asia in recent years. (U.S. Navy via Reuters)

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

June 8, 2024 18:00 JST

WASHINGTON -- The failure of successive U.S. administrations to respond adequately to the stunning growth of Chinese power stands as one of the three biggest foreign policy blunders since World War II, alongside the 1965 escalation in Vietnam and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, authors of a much-talked-about new book told Nikkei Asia.

In "Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power," Robert Blackwill, a former ambassador to India, and Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, conclude that the "pivot to Asia" strategy has so far failed, distracted by conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.