@Yevgeny
You might want to read the following article. Whenever trying to assess foreign policy priorities of states, always closely watch movements within relevant institutions.
White House shifts from Middle East quagmires to a showdown with China
Joe Biden is pivoting to Asia. Just don’t expect him to say so explicitly.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan has restructured the National Security staff in the Middle East and Asia directorates — downsizing the team devoted to the Middle East and bulking up the unit that coordinates U.S. policy toward the vast region of the world stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.
The move, which has not been previously reported, is the latest sign that the new administration will prioritize Asia in its foreign policy initiatives. It reflects China’s rapid rise over the last two decades, and the growing concerns among officials and lawmakers across parties about how Beijing’s authoritarian leaders are wielding their newfound muscle.
Under the new structure, Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell’s domain is growing, while the directorate overseen by Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk will be more limited, several current and former officials said.
The changes essentially flip the structure of the Obama-era NSC, where the Middle East directorate was much bigger than it is now and the Asia portfolio was managed by a handful of more junior staffers. Obama’s second term featured an onslaught of national security threats and priorities emanating from the Middle East, from the Islamic State and the Iran nuclear deal to the Libyan and Syrian conflicts and the resulting migration crisis in Europe.
But Biden and his team now believe the biggest security challenges will emerge from the so-called great power competition between the U.S., China and Russia, current and former national security officials say, and are shifting their resources accordingly.
President Biden's foreign policy team is reorienting its priorities around rising powers in Asia, hoping to move on from the "forever wars" of the last two decades.
www.politico.com