Obama's Asia trip: What did he accomplish?
Commentators weigh in on the president's historical 10-day sojourn to the world's most populous continent

President Obama wrapped up his 10-day tour of Asia's biggest democracies with a stop in Japan this weekend. (Watch The Hill's recap of Obama's trip.) Here, pundits and analysts weigh in on what he achieved (or failed to achieve) with his visits to India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan — and, of course, his non-visit to China, the country that in many ways dominated the whole tour:
India
Obama's trip to India was "worth every penny," says Charles Krauthammer in The Washington Post. The fast-growing, free-market democracy is the region's best counterweight to an increasingly aggressive China, and it "must be the center of our Asian diplomacy." Obama hit the right notes, but who cares? "No one remembers what Nixon did in China; what changed the world is that Nixon went to China." The most striking thing about Obama's "feel-good trip to India," says Juan Cole in The American Conservative, is how little he could offer. Mostly, Obama just "bumped up against the limits of American economic and diplomatic clout in the new Asian world order."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Indonesia
Obama's last-minute cancellation of two previously planned visits had left raw feelings in his childhood home, says Guy De Launey in BBC News. But "any residual frostiness towards Mr. Obama seemed to melt away" after he landed. A few, flawlessly pronounced jokes in Indonesian, and a "rock concert"-like speech at the University of Indonesia, completed the charm offensive. The crucial part of Obama's speech, says The Washington Post in an editorial, was his "strong case" that freedom and democracy will help Indonesia "succeed in the long run." But he missed an important opportunity to chastise Indonesia for its just-revealed human rights abuses, says Stefan Simanowitz in The Guardian.
South Korea
The highlight of Obama's attendence of the G-20 conference in South Korea was supposed to be the announcement of a free-trade deal, says Sheryl Gay Stolberg in The New York Times. Instead, he and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak "emerged empty-handed" from their meeting. "Analysts on both sides of the political aisle" described Obama's failure to meet his self-imposed deadline for a deal "as a serious setback." And not only for U.S. car and beef exports, either, says Doug Palmer in Reuters. Showing that a U.S.-Korea deal is politically viable "is vital to U.S. credibility in talks on a broader trade pact" being negotiated in the region.
Japan
Obama "made little headway" at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Yokohama, Japan, writes Patricia Zengerle at Reuters. In particular, his attempt to expand a Trans-Pacific free trade agreement to include the U.S. ended in failure. "Clearly, the trip was more difficult than Obama hoped for." But the president's first meeting with Australian prime minister Julia Gillard while at the APEC forum helped forge a good relationship between the two countries, says Michelle Grattan at the Sydney Morning Herald. Australian support could help the U.S. "get China to move towards a market-based currency."
The China non-visit
Obama insists that his Asia trip "is all about jobs," says Robert D. Kaplan in The New York Times. But "in geopolitical terms, the president's visits in all four countries are about one challenge: the rise of China on land and sea." India, Indonesia, Korea, and Japan are all wary of China's expanding power, and Obama needed to reassure them that the U.S. will keep China's ambitions in check. Obama's "encirclement" of China sure "looks fishy" to the "prickly nationalists" in China, says The Economist. And if China's paranoia constrains its belligerence, "that may be no bad thing." But Obama's China-skirting itinerary is mostly just a coincidence: Korea and Japan are hosting key international summits, India is a foreign-policy priority, and he just owed Indonesia a visit.
This article was originally published on November 12, and updated on November 15.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Trump's actions cut a wide swath across Hawaii's economy
In Depth The state's tourism and farming sectors are two of the largest hit industries
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 immersive books to read this April for a brief escape
The Week Recommends A dystopian tale takes us to the library, a journalist's ode to her refugee parents and more
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'The winners and losers of AI may not be where we expect'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published