Obama’s Pacific Innovations
From Russia’s perspective, America’s new Pacific Strategy has its positive and negative aspects. Washington's interest in the Russian Far East could facilitate U.S. investment in the region. As a result, joint economic projects under the APEC framework, which are potentially lucrative for Russia, could see some acceleration. In the longer term this could include the creation of free economic zones in the Russian Far East. Washington changes its strategy in the Pacific Rim Now half way through his presidential term Barack Obama is beginning to revise U.S. policy in the Pacific Rim. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Asian tour, which started on October 27 and took in the Association of South-East Asia Nations (ASEAN) summit in Hanoi (Vietnam), Hainan Island (People’s Republic of China), Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua-New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia, is part of this initiative. On November 6, President Barack Obama himself toured the Pacific Rim, visiting India and Indo...