When the Obama administration announced its Asia pivot in 2010, many of its allies in the region must have breathed a collective sigh of relief. Back then, China was ramping up its claims to territory in the South China Sea and strutting about with confidence.

But 2½ years later, it seems many of America’s allies are scratching their heads wondering when something will happen. “As far as meeting with ambassadors and other military leaders in that area, they like the concept, [but] they don’t understand the concept because we didn’t do very good messaging,” said Rep. J. Randy Forbes, co-chairman of the Congressional China Caucus.

When America announced its pivot, part of that was a plan to rebalance its power to emphasize the region. But, as some politicians are now starting to speak out about, America doesn’t have the forces to do much of a rebalance.

America was supposed to bolster its presence in the Pacific with troops and equipment from the Middle East as the United States pulled out of Afghanistan. But the pullout from the Middle East is proving more difficult than expected: “I think somebody was either misleading just a little bit in terms of how they were going to get these capabilities, or they were totally misreading what was going to happen in the Middle East and how we could just pull out all those resources from there,” said Forbes.

In fact, it appears the rebalancing has failed. In a separate interview, Forbes said, “To be frank, I am afraid the U.S. will not be able to achieve a significant military ‘rebalance’ to the Asia-Pacific now, let alone simultaneously supporting our security demands in the centcom [Middle East] region.” At present, American forces are spread thin. It does not have the power it once had.

Despite claims from National Security Adviser Tom Donilon that the pivot has always been about strengthening alliances, deepening partnerships with emerging powers, and building a stable, productive, and constructive relationship with China, America cannot hope to accomplish these things without the necessary military power backing them.

It is a telling sign when America cannot make headway in a region that it is supposed to be putting the majority of its focus on. It is showing the world that it is not the superpower it once was. Budget cuts and sequesters have reduced its forces, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have sapped its will, and concessions to China have sapped its credibility.

Gone are the days of the U.S. being the one to call the shots in the world. As Trumpet writer Jeremiah Jacques wrote in January, America has been bluffing in the Pacific, but it is starting to show its hand. The days of America being a global force are almost over.

We are quickly approaching a time the Bible calls the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24), a time when American and British peoples no longer lead the world. It means the world is headed for a time of suffering unparalleled by any other time in human history. However, this suffering is followed by the most joyous event in the history of man: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when He will put an end to all war and hostilities between nations. To understand where the decline of America is leading, read our article “The Times of the Gentiles.”