That chickens!!t president of ours didn’t back the Philippines when the Chicoms first did this, and now he has left it so that he pretty much has to go to the UN to beg for action, militarily confront the Chicoms, or just concede that the Chicoms are smarter than he is.
All bad choices. Just another in the latest string of appeasement and backing the wrong side.
In this case, I don't think he's made a mistake. It's not unique to countries in the region, but many of our "allies" have this "don't rock the boat" mentality. If Obama had jumped in earlier, they might have accused him of harming their relations with China. Now that China has repeatedly thrown its weight around, it's clear to all of the region's countries that China, not the US, is the country that is being provocative in its actions. A clear pattern of Chinese misbehavior also makes it easier, from a public opinion standpoint, for the region's governments to provide support for US forces (typically logistical, in the form of pre-positioning ammo and equipment, as well as other useful things they can do in the background). Many are suspicious of the US's role as an honest broker/offshore balancer vis-a-vis China. They figure there's got to be a catch - nobody provides free protection.