The United States now has the opportunity to secure for another generation the peace that has held in Asia for nearly four decades now. The Obama administration has made modest gains in this regard, but it will be up for to the next president to seize that opportunity and ensure that Southeast Asia’s future is prosperous, peaceful and free.

Michael Mazza is a research fellow in foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). You can follow him on Twitter: @Mike_Mazza.