Moreover, America’s Asian pivot is occurring at a time when its international credibility has been badly eroded by domestic political dysfunction and disappointing performance in the Middle East. This, for example, explains Japan’s fear that the US might eventually reach an accommodation with China over the disputed Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands in Chinese).
此外，在美国提出亚洲支点的同时，其国际声誉因为国内政治僵局和令人失望的中东表现而大大受损。这解释了（比如）日本担心美国最终会与中国就钓鱼岛问题形成谅解。事实上，日本要求重新建立自己的军队正是对其美国盟友不放心的证明。