Asia and the Pacific Rim are today in the midst of a transfer of power, as political leadership changes in almost all its major nations. From Japan, South Korea (ROK), and Australia, all of which recently held elections, to Taiwan, which will pick a new president in the coming months, fresh democratic governments in the region will soon face new leaders in illiberal countries such as Russia and, within half a decade, China. In some of these cases, new leadership means a distinct break with recently held positions and therefore offers both challenges and opportunities for American policy. Yet the combined economic and political changes of the past several decades have brought Asia to a turning point, and Washington now must decide how to revitalize the policies that have brought wealth and stability to millions in the most dynamic region of the globe.

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