Tag: State of the Union

  • Asia in Obama's 2014 State of the Union: We're Still Number One

    President Barack Obama’s 2014 State of the Union does not emphasize Asia, except as a competitor. Last year’s post is here. Opening comments Asia got scant attention in this State of the Union. Japan was not mentioned at all, which has been a kind of norm for Obama. China came up twice as a competitor…

  • Why one might think the US government sees China as threat no. 1

    In recent weeks, a series of U.S. government statements, leaks, and policy changes could leave you with the impression that policymakers see China as the biggest threat to U.S. security. My guess is that even if top officials in the Obama administration believe this, they would rather temper that impression. On the other hand, take…

  • Asia in the State of the Union: Bringing jobs home and—psst!—cybersecurity

    UPDATED at bottom with further comments The State of the Union speech this year was not suited for heavy lifting in foreign policy, and it had almost nothing to say about policy in the Asia-Pacific. According to the prepared speech, President Obama mentioned a push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, responded to North Korea’s recent nuclear…

  • Asia and the world in the State of the Union

    With a domestic economic focus expected to anchor the evening, the prepared text of U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2012 State of the Union speech (according to WSJ) is similar to last year’s in its emphasis on Asia. At least measured by the crude “word count” metric, China is mentioned five times, just over last year. Like…

  • Asia in the State of the Union: Diligent competitors, trade partners

    This post is based on the advance speech distributed by the White House and published on CNN.com. Over all, tonight’s state of the union speech appears to be light on foreign affairs. Here is a summary of the mentions of Asia. Overall, my quick read is that Asia is set up as a land of…