INTERNATIONAL POLICY ANALYSIS »Presence with a Purpose« The Reorientation of US Security Policy, the Rise of China and Its Consequences for the Role of the United States in Europe INTERNATIONAL SECURITY POLICY WORKING GROUP September 2012  The debate on a reorientation of American security policy is taking place against the background of massive economic difficulties.  Debates on»American decline« have been a recurrent feature of the past couple of centuries. Discussions of a reorientation of American foreign policy are also taking place against this background, with marked effects on policy.  The United States has come up with a logical approach, coordinated between the relevant government departments and reflecting a broad consensus between the political parties and academic experts. The administration has already begun to implement this approach with a combination of political initiatives, official visits by high-ranking government representatives and the transfer of troops to the Pacific.  Over the coming decades the Pacific region will take on greater political and econ­omic significance. European policy must adapt to this and, where possible, coor­dinate closely with its American partners. Instead of reducing US strategy to a»turn­ing away« from Europe, German and European policy should grasp the American »turning towards« the Pacific as an opportunity for closer cooperation.