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PacNet #31 – Gates “Reassures” Asia

The United States is a “resident” power in Asia that has been and will remain fully engaged in the region and both supportive of and involved in the development of any regional security architecture. This was the central message delivered by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this past weekend. Press coverage has focused on his “subtle warnings” to China and blunt comments about Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar) but the real message was one of reassurance of continued U.S. commitment to the region.