(MENAFN- Asia Times)
MANILA – The new trump administration is off to a muscular start with its“peace through strength” strategy, a policy flex expressed in a series of key appointments and meetings that has already impressed top allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Barely hours into his new office, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a bilateral meeting with India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar to underscore the centrality of Asia in Trump's foreign policy.
Rubio also held a phone conversation with his Filipino counterpart in which he reiterated America's“ironclad” commitment to defend its Southeast Asian mutual defense treaty ally in the event of armed conflict with China in the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr personally met new US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to reaffirm the“enduring alliance between the Philippines and the United States.”
Just days into office, the new Trump administration also convened the latest iteration of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as the“Quad”, which brought together top diplomats from Australia, Japan, India and the US.
In a joint statement, Rubio and his Quad counterparts underscored their“shared commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended.”
In a thinly veiled criticism of revisionist powers, most notably China, the Quad ministers made it clear that they“strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.”
Meanwhile, newly inaugurated President Trump signaled a more pragmatic approach in his second term by firing and lambasting Iran hawks while elevating pragmatists such as Michael DiMino as the Pentagon's new top Middle East official.
Coupled with Trump's call for ending the “ridiculous war” in Ukraine and growing pressure on European allies to shoulder their own defense burdens, recent key appointments will strengthen the voice of so-called“prioritizers” led by Elbridge Colby, a nominee for under-secretary of defense for policy who has emphasized the need for a more China-focused US foreign policy.
By reorienting America's strategic focus from old theaters in Europe and the Middle East, the second Trump administration is seemingly set to double down on its defense alliance and deterrence strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
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