Under Biden, US reimagines Asian alliances as 'lattice' fence
Voice of America
President Joe Biden, center, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pose before a trilateral meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, April 11, 2024. FILE - A Filipino soldier fires a Javelin anti-tank weapon system during a live exercise as part of the annual U.S.-Philippines joint military exercises called "Balikatan" at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija province, April 13, 2023. FILE - President Joe Biden, left, talks with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, ahead of a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 21, 2023.
For decades, U.S. policy in Asia has relied on what was informally known as the “hub and spokes” system of bilateral alliances. But lately, U.S. officials have used another analogy to describe their vision for the region: a lattice fence.
Military personnel stand near the caskets of soldiers, killed in an ammunition explosion at a military base, during their funeral in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia, April 28, 2024. Photos of soldiers who were killed in an ammunition explosion at a military base are displayed during their funeral in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia, April 28, 2024.
Pope Francis delivers his message as he meets with young people in front of the Church of the Salute in Venice, April 28, 2024. Pope Francis enters St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Sunday, April 28, 2024. The Pontiff arrived for his first-ever visit to the lagoon town including the Vatican pavilion at the 60th Biennal of Arts. Pope Francis is greeted by gondoliers upon his arrival in Venice, April 28, 2024.
People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 27, 2024. People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 27, 2024.