Sailors assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island clear out of the way of a Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II in preparation for takeoff from the flight deck of the ship. Photo: US Marine Corps / Patrick Crosley
Stephen Bryen, Asia Times: America’s ‘Great Retreat’ is well underway
The US is rapidly lowering its military profile and backing away from commitments to allies in the Middle East and Asia
Why would the US Department of Justice drop five cases against Chinese researchers including Dr Juan Tang, a cancer researcher who allegedly lied on her visa application after photos of her were found wearing a Chinese military uniform?
Part of the answer is that Tang’s case was dropped to facilitate Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s high-level visit this week to China, where she was treated hostilely by her Chinese hosts.
The five cases are just part of a bigger picture which can best be termed as “The Great Retreat.” In many areas, the US is lowering its profile and backing away from its commitments.
For example, the US has pulled its only aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, from the Pacific ostensibly to cover the retreat from Afghanistan. But whether the Ronald Reagan carrier will return to Japan in the future isn’t altogether clear.
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WNU Editor: U.S. foreign policy is being dictated by its problems at home. It is a country that is politically divided coupled with racial tensions not seen in years. Massive deficits and liability obligations. Inflation and a major part of the workforce unemployed. Homelessness on the rise. An infrastructure that is crumbling even after multiple promises and disbursements over the years to repair it. A border crisis being ignored by Washington. Its reserve currency status being challenged. Bottom line. There is no longer any stomach among the U.S. electorate to save the world when real problems exist at home.
