Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

U.S. Focus <strong>and</strong> Interest Shift to Asia.
Hillary Clinton, in an article in the November 2011
issue of Foreign Policy titled “America’s Pacific Century,”
characterized the Asia-Pacific region as a “key
driver of global politics” <strong>and</strong> called for a “substantially
increased investment—diplomatic, economic, strategic,
<strong>and</strong> otherwise—in the Asia-Pacific region.” 16 A
new survey shows that Americans view Asian countries,
not European ones, as the most important partners
for the United States. Moreover, a partisan divide
has emerged in attitudes toward the relationship. A
majority (57 percent) of Republicans now believe that
the United States should take a more independent approach
vis-à-vis Europe, a plurality of Democrats (42
percent) still supports closer ties with Europe, <strong>and</strong> independents
are divided on the issue. As Americans
turn away from Europe, they are turning toward Asia.
A majority (51 percent) now see China, Japan, <strong>and</strong>
South Korea as more important than the nations of
Europe for U.S. national interests. Europeans should
be particularly concerned that a strong majority of
Americans under the age of 45 now see Asia as more
important than Europe. 17 The Americans who most
value Europe are rapidly disappearing from the stage.
The Global <strong>Nuclear</strong> Zero Movement.
Energized by President Obama’s speech calling
for a world free of nuclear weapons in Prague, Czech
Republic in 2009, the movement has brought renewed
pressures on one of the fundamental aspects of NA-
TO’s security posture <strong>and</strong> resulted in new initiatives
for unilateral disarmament despite the threats dis-
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