Washington (CNN) -- Asian security may figure greatly in this year's U.S. presidential election because of urgent questions about North Korea and enduring concerns over how best to manage a rising China and preserve American influence. In addition to Asia's looming role in the global economy, specific recent developments ensure that Asia will surface as an issue during the final months of the U.S. presidential campaign. Asian security issues should be debated during the course of the election, and they will be framed in terms starkly different from those likely to be heard among Asian experts ruminating at a conference. While foreign capitals and analysts will scrutinize campaign rhetoric for clues, they would do well to remember that governing is different from campaigning.
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Patrick Cronin: Asian security issues have barely been discussed in campaign
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He says issues such as North Korea and China's growing power need discussion
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Cronin: How can diminished U.S. military meet challenges in the region?
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He asks whether Japan, other nations, can play a larger role
But the deeper, underlying issues of Asian security and their implications for the @placeholder are awaiting more deliberate consideration.