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Hegseth’s Asia tour won’t fix the US credibility crisis
The Defence Secretary can choose to uphold US commitment to the Indo-Pacific or let China play a more important role.
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The timing of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first Asian tour couldn’t be more awkward, says the writer.
PHOTO: AFP
Karishma Vaswani
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The battle of Iwo Jima in World War II was one of the bloodiest in the history of the US Marine Corps. Nearly 7,000 American soldiers died. On the Japanese side, the scale of the casualties was exponentially higher. The epic military operation is a reminder of America’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
Eighty years later, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has a chance to show that resolve again. The alternative is to accept that China will play a more important role in the region – and take the space as the US retreats.
