There is a caricature of America’s “pivot” to Asia and it goes something like this: the Middle East and south Asia are the graveyard of US power and prestige and Washington must cut its losses to these ungrateful nations as quickly as possible and turn its full attention to the21st century that is playing out on more peaceful and profitable shores in the Asia-Pacific region. This concept of the pivot is posited not only to be in American interests but is also the supposed preference of most Asian nations.
有一幅關於美國「重返亞洲」戰略的諷刺畫,大意如下:中東和南亞是美國權力和威望的墓地,華盛頓必須儘快在這些不知感恩的國家止損,並將全部注意力轉向21世紀的頂樑柱——更加和平、更有利可圖的亞太地區。這種「重返亞洲」的理念,被描繪成不僅符合美國利益,也理應受到大多數亞洲國家的歡迎。