The debate over whether the theoretical world has anything to do with the real world continues as analysis of US foreign policy ask the basic question of how the Obama Adminis!ration can be characterized in the domain of international politics. Various attempts have been made to elucidate this inquiry by examining both the theoretical framework and the empirical evidence that are related to the Obama Administration policy toward China. Outstanding among them are neo-realists who seem to be able to showcase considerable analytical power in this particular context of US rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific. Stephen Walt, a neorealist, suggests that an off-shore balancing strategy is almost exactly what the Obama Administration is embarking in its policy toward the Asia-Pacific in general and China in particular. This strategy reflects the changing power configurations between the US and China, which, according to neo-realism, constitutes the most important driver for any policy turnabout. Basically, Walt argues that US relative decline and Chinese relative rise would require policy makers in Washington D.C. to craft a policy of off-shore balancing that relies substantially on "friendly powers" in the region to maintain its preponderance over China. Several recent events seem indicative of this premise by neo-realism.