Pivot to Asia: A New U.S. Foreign Policy?

By Bernie Keating

Bernie Keating has been a worldwide traveler through several careersnaval officer, executive, and tourist. He brings this broad perspective into an appraisal of a pivot to Asia.

This is his fifteenth published book written during a fifty-year career as executive of a multinational company. His eclectic writing pursuits include science, frontier history, religion, music, economics, and several novels. They reflect the experiences of a lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524697914

Bernie Keating

Bernie Keating’s was raised in Buffalo Gap, South Dakota, served as a naval officer during the Korean War, completed graduate school at U.C. Berkeley, and then began a fifty-year career as executive, becoming Manager of Quality Assurance for the world’s largest packaging company. As an avocation during his long working career, he also wrote books and the current one is his twenty-second. He and his wife live on a ranch in the Sierra Mountains near Sonora, California.

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2017 Bernie Keating. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 06/28/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5246-9792-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-9793-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-9791-4 (e)

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Table of Contents

PREFACE

1 A PIVOT TO ASIA

2 AN ALMIGHTY GOD?

3 OUR BIASED RELIGIOUS HERITAGE

4 IS THERE AN ALMIGHNTY GOD?

5 RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHIES IN THE WEST

6 MAJOR ASIAN RELIGIONS

7 RELIGIOUS CULTURES OF ASIAN NATIONS

8 ECONOMIES OF ASIAN NATIONS

9 AN ASIAN ECONOMIC PIVOT?

10 POLITICS IN ASIAN NATIONS

11 IS A POLITICAL PIVOT TO ASIA POSSIBLE?

12 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

APPENDICE: UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY

ENDNOTES

PREFACE

This book has gone through a labored journey.

The initial draft was completed two years ago when President Obama announced his Pivot to Asia and placed greater emphasis on things in the Pacific, but tentative changes occurred in the President Trump administration with uncertainty about the Pivot.

Then followed some ambiguity by the author about the premise and conclusions; so, that took considerable more analysis and re-writing.

Finally, after reexamining the role of my own changing rationales, I wondered if I really wanted to be so revealing about my own private religious beliefs – too personal.

When publishing a new book, I no longer think I am building another pyramid; I am not so naïve or humble. Yet, the words placed on paper have meaning to me, even if to no one else.

Bernie Keating

1

A PIVOT TO ASIA

The Foreign Affairs policies of the United States are flexible from one administration to another as a consequence of the thinking of the President, but also as a result of the reaction to intervening events.

In recognition of the emergence of China as a major concern in Asia, President Obama announced a pivot in our nation’s Foreign Affairs policy to place a new emphasis on events in the pacific. This came with a realization that countries in Asia play an important role in our nation’s future security and economy. The pivot was announced late in his term in office and it remains to be seen if it will be a priority with other presidents; however, the importance of Asia in the affairs of the world is a reality that cannot be ignored.

A nation’s Foreign Affairs policy is also a product of the religious beliefs of a nation. Our culture developed in the United States as a result of the Judeo-Christian religious ethos we inherited from Europe. Our early ancestors carried their religious beliefs with them across the Atlantic, oblivious to atheistic religions in the Pacific as if they did not exist; hence, our American culture is actually a European culture.

As a consequence, because of our ignorance about Asia, we have been ill-equipped to deal with that region. Mistakes include isolation from Japan in the 1930’s, the Vietnam War and Korean War fought unsuccessfully to prevent communist aggression, the optional Iraq and Afghanistan War, ambivalent relations with Pakistan and India, and quarrels with China. Do we know enough about Asia and Asians to react correctly to future developments?

We will start this pursuit with a look at our religious legacy because it represents our most fundamental beliefs and the one that creates a unique state of mind that impacts with our political and economic cultures.

2

AN ALMIGHTY GOD?

The religion we inherited from Europe that a monotheistic, almighty God controls our universe was a regrettable legacy from our European ancestors. It led us into worshiping a fictional creation. There is no almighty God that is the fundamental belief of each of the three major religions of the world that originated in the West: Judaism, Christianity, and