The US decided to pivot or to deploy around 60 percent of its troops, warships and submarines, and jet fighters to the Asia-Pacific region not out of a whim and certainly not merely because of the conflicting territorial claims at the West Philippine Sea. There are deeper reasons to it. The same is true with the Asian tour of US Pres. Barack Obama. The main reason for the Asian visits of US President Obama is not merely to assure its “allies” that the US is there to side with them as the Aquino government would want the people to believe. It is about US interests first and foremost.

Bulatlat.com is uploading three substantial articles from Ibon Foundation to provide the geopolitical and economic context to the US pivot and the Obama visit.