Doing the Asia Pivot

Strong words from the Professor on the Senkaku Islands:

A major Japanese newspaper Wednesday published its transcript of an interview with the president where he gave what some analysts say is the clearest statement to date on the U.S. position regarding the disputed islands.

The islands, known as the Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, have long been administered by Japan and claimed by China.

Obama told the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper that islands fall under the U.S.- Japan Mutual Cooperation and Security Treaty and Washington opposes any “unilateral attempts to undermine Japan’s administration of the islands.”

Sounds like a red line to me.

There’s no need to detail just how much harm last year’s Syria Fiasco did to our international reputation, but it’s a safe bet China will be probing past the President’s words to see what advantages they might gain.