The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia by Kurt M. Campbell
| Author | David A. Beitelman |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702018754546 |
| Date | 01 March 2018 |
| Published date | 01 March 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
performance was noted where it counted most for Ottawa: Brussels, London, Paris,
and, above all, Washington. This familiar use of Canada’s military instrument to
support realpolitik political objectives was made more acceptable by the fact that
helping to transform Afghanistan from a base for global terrorism into some
semblance of a stable and peaceful country—even if that goal has proven elu-
sive—was consistent with Canadian values. Thus, Saideman is right to conclude
that Canada’s efforts in Afghanistan were worthwhile.
This book teaches us many invaluable lessons about Canada based upon its
experience in Afghanistan. Whether the ‘‘whole-of-government’’ approach actually
worked in that ambiguous, inconclusive, but ultimately worthwhile conflict,
and whether the lessons of adaption learned there will be applied in the future, is
still a matter of debate. But now, and indeed on a continuing basis, is the time, as
the current saying goes, to hold those conversations—before Ottawa once again
turns to the men and women of the CAF to do its bidding in a foreign conflict.
There is too much at risk. And in those discussions and debates, politicians, bur-
eaucrats, analysts, and the public would be well advised to consult Stephen
Saideman’s Adapting in the Dust.
Kurt M. Campbell
The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia
New York: Twelve, 2016. 399 pp. $36.00 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-4555-6895-6
Reviewed by: David A. Beitelman (d.beitelman@dal.ca), Dalhousie University
In October 2011, in the pages of Foreign Policy magazine, Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton announced a major foreign policy initiative: a ‘‘pivot’’ to the Asia-Pacific, a
region of the world that had been overlooked by the United States of America
during its protracted conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The pivot was a major
reinvestment of US diplomatic, economic, and military resources in a region it
recognized as key to its continued dominance in the twenty-first century.
Observers soon began picking apart the language of the initiative: since ‘‘pivot’’
connoted an abandonment of the Middle East and/or Europe, the term was
replaced by ‘‘rebalance.’’ The issue of how to brand the US’s allocation of its
precious resources (namely the attention of its senior policymakers) highlights
the strains and burdens associated with being the world’s sole superpower. One
of the key architects of this realignment was Clinton’s assistant secretary of state
for East Asian & Pacific affairs, Kurt Campbell, the author of the study under
review. Given Campbell’s central role in crafting these policies, it comes as little
surprise that he decided to preserve their original language, naming his book The
Pivot. The choice underscores the original intent behind the initiative—and, more
importantly, the ambitions of its creators. ‘‘Rebalance’’ suggests returning to a
level of previous engagement. As Campbell notes early in the book, however, the
US’s ‘‘efforts in the Asia-Pacific have often failed to measure up to the region’s
172 International Journal 73(1)
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