The Return of American Muscle

Alarmists are convinced the United States is losing ground around the world. Two critical regions make them particularly anxious: Asia and the Middle East, where American power is challenged by big competitors and small rogue states. Both regions are also home to opaque nuclear programs and anti-American regimes; North Korea possesses nuclear warheads, while Iran most likely wants the same. Worse yet, America’s position is compromised by military and economic challenges, as it concludes two major wars and struggles to recover from a fierce recession.If the triple threat of China, North Korea, and Iran remains unchecked – as some claim it might– it would be news to these countries and their capitals. The US responded to each challenge symbolically and substantively in 2010. In some cases, it explicitly declared its intent while in others, it pursued bold action and empowerment measures. The return of American muscle is a reminder that no power can project force like the US and no country enjoys the multitude of friends who share its strategic vision (e.g. hemming in China, countering Iran, isolating North Korea). Any swan song is premature.This year’s warning shots were fired loudest in Asia, where the US and South Korea held a series of massive war games following North Korea’s alleged attack on a South Korean vessel in March. By July, thousands of Americans and South Koreans were mobilized for anti-submarine drills and joint maneuvers off the coast of North Korea – a combined effort that left no doubts about American resolve in Asia. "These defensive, combined exercises are designed to send a clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behavior must stop, and that we are committed to together enhancing our combined defensive capabilities," read a July statement from US Defense Secretary Robert Gates.North Korea is not the only target of American posturing. The US’s expansive role in Asian waters is raising alarms in Beijing as well. US and Japanese navies are scheduled for drills off the coast of Okinawa in December. Last month, US and South Korean forces launched joint exercises in the Yellow Sea – water considered vital to China. And in August, the US staged joint maneuvers in the South China Sea with Vietnam, a country whose territorial claims frequently clash with the People’s Republic.The frequency of these drills is a direct consequence of renewed fears among China’s neighbors. China’s maritime assertiveness – specifically its claims to regional waters and recent deployments of advanced submarines and destroyers – has given new urgency to American primacy in Asia. As The Economist noted in August, “Absent without leave, America helped foster an overblown perception in the region of America’s decline and China’s ascent. It is now putting that right,” with high-profile displays of power and solidarity.Regional fears are also allowing the US to strengthen its position in the Persian Gulf, where Iran’s ambitions are creating consensus. This year has been punctuated by significant arms deals between the US and states like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Although the $60 billion deal with Saudi Arabia received the most attention, Kuwait and the UAE are both expecting deliveries of sophisticated anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems soon, thus offsetting the threat posed by Iranian warheads.Not surprisingly, Qatar and Bahrain are both abstaining from the American-sponsored arms race, and with good reason: both maintain sizable US bases that already protect them from Iranian aggression. In May, the US broke ground in Bahrain for the purposes of doubling the size of its naval base there, which is situated directly across the Persian Gulf from Iran. This combination of new weapons systems and anti-missile technology ensures a more hostile environment for Iran, one in which its threats are cheapened and American allies are immune to intimidation.By empowering friendly states and flexing American muscle in the form of joint drills and deployments, the US is dispelling the myth that the world’s only superpower is neither super nor powerful. The Beltway is momentarily full of pessimists but America’s profile in Beijing, Riyadh, Seoul, Tehran, and Pyongyang is consequential like no other. Critical US allies are enjoying new resources and priority, while challengers to the American order suffer from isolation (North Korea), the threat of overwhelming force (Iran), and territorial push-back (China).The photo in this article is being used under licensing by the U.S. Navy. The original source can be found here.