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Dr Georg Löfflmann has published an article in Asian Security, examining American grand strategy under the Obama administration, and how the 'pivot to Asia' functions within this geo-strategic context. It argues that President Obama attempts to secure American hegemony through a combination of cooperative engagement and restraint. This exposes a fundamental dilemma at the heart of America’s rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific: increased engagement with US allies and partners in the region is fueling political, economic, and military competition with China. Sequestration and questions over American strategic coherence and consistency are simultaneously undermining the credibility of the pivot, both at home and abroad. The article concludes that this dilemma makes it unlikely for Obama's rebalancing strategy to succeed in its stated aims, unless the United States re-emphasizes cooperative engagement with China.

The article is available here: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/QFgaRX2uXXuqKDbCBDV4/full