Why Can’t America Contain China? | Ask The Professor
Summary
John Mearsheimer explains that the 2011 "pivot to Asia" was merely rhetoric, as the Obama administration continued engaging China until 2017. He argues that containment only began under Trump, but recent U.S. involvement in the Ukraine and Iran wars has forced a dangerous pivot away from East Asia.
Topics discussed
Introduction and the question on the Asia pivot
Defining the pivot as containment of China
China's economic rise and WTO entry
Why the Obama administration stuck with engagement
Trump's 2017 shift to containment policy
Implementation of the pivot in Trump's first term
Strategic distraction by Ukraine and Iran wars
Pivoting away from East Asia for the Iran war
Conclusion: The pivot's failure and strategic blunders
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