Whereas Asia played an important role in a US presidential election campaign that was marked by often-heated references to China’s rise, the Middle East has kept the US bogged down for decades. In addition to the eternal Israel-Palestine conflict, Iraq’s instability, the Arab Spring, Syria’s civil war, and the ongoing nuclear standoff with Iran all demand America’s attention.
上述两个吸引美国关注的地缘政治焦点中，一个代表未来、另一个则代表过去。尽管亚洲在美国总统竞选中发挥了重要作用，中国的崛起问题被反复提及，但美国数十年来一直深陷于中东问题。除永恒不变的巴以冲突外，伊拉克的混乱局势、阿拉伯之春、叙利亚内战和伊朗目前的核僵局都吸引着美国的注意力。