Source: PBS NewsHour
Carnegie’s Douglas Paal spoke on PBS’ NewsHour to discuss how Obama's absence from the APEC meetings in Bali will impact U.S. interests in the region. Paal noted that Obama’s absence does represent an erosion of U.S. support for its Asian partners. Furthermore, given foreign policy issues like chemical weapons in Syria, there is some skepticism among Asian leaders as to whether the Obama administration remains fully committed to the rebalance toward Asia. However, Paal also suggested that Washington can recover its credibility in the region by rapidly rescheduling missed meetings and pushing forward on key initiatives, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership.