Next week, President Barack Obama leaves for his first tour of Asia since he entered the White House in January. Obama will land in Tokyo, the first of stop in a 10-day, four-country tour of the Asia-Pacific region. The principal message of Obama’s trip is that the U.S. has recovered from its preoccupation with terrorism and that it understands the challenges and opportunities of a rising China. Not long before Obama’s departure, Singapore’s elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew visited Washington and pointedly reminded him at an awards ceremony sponsored by the US-ASEAN Business Council that Asian countries want American engagement, and need it to balance China. Lee cautioned the United States against over-commitment in Afghanistan, reminding his...