In November 2011, the Obama administration announced that the United States would be “pivoting” towards the Asia-Pacific and away from the Middle East, expanding its already significant role in the region. Underlying this “rebalancing” is President Obama’s belief that U.S. strategy and priorities needed to be adjusted to take account of the fact that Asia is now the center of gravity for national security and economic interests. The United States, he believes, needs to do more to safeguard U.S. interests in this vital region by reassuring allies, keeping trade flowing, deterring North Korea, keeping China in check as it acts in an increasingly assertive fashion in the South China and East China Seas, and addressing myriad lesser threats from piracy to terrorism.