Can the American Pacific Century survive Trump?

PRESIDENT Barack Obama's goal to ensure that the present era becomes America's Pacific Century is running into unexpected challenges. President-elect Donald Trump appears to be replacing the Obama vision with a new Pacific Cold War. Yet, Mr Trump also appears to be committed to creating an American Pacific Century, though he puts it in different words. He calls it: "Making America great again".

The 20th century was the American Century as the US dominated the world, but continuing US supremacy is less certain because of its relative economic decline.

The US, nonetheless, is both an Atlantic and a Pacific power, and Mr Obama's global diplomacy has made sure that it remained so.