CRS Report for Congress: Pivot to the Pacific? The Obama Administration's "Rebalancing" Toward Asia

In the fall of 2011, the Obama Administration issued a series of announcements indicating that
the United States would be expanding and intensifying its already significant role in the AsiaPacific, particularly in the southern part of the region. The fundamental goal underpinning the
shift is to devote more effort to influencing the development of the Asia-Pacific's norms and
rules, particularly as China emerges as an ever-more influential regional power. Given that one
purpose of the "pivot" or "rebalancing" toward the Asia-Pacific is to deepen U.S. credibility in
the region at a time of fiscal constraint, Congress's oversight and appropriations roles, as well as
its approval authority over free trade agreements, will help determine to what extent the
Administration's plans are implemented and how various trade-offs are managed.