The continuing impact of 9/11 and the subsequent anti-terrorism campaign have perceptively influenced U.S. security strategy and bilateral relationships with key Asian countries. While the United States has been “the” regional power since the end of World War II, there is some uncertainty about the relevance of that power at a time when Asian nations are attempting to foster greater regional cooperation and forge a stronger regional identity.

Given the political, economic, and security interests of the United States in the region, it is essential that both Americans and Asians contribute to solving problems and addressing challenges of mutual concern — from stability on the Korean peninsula, conflict in Afghanistan, and the global war on terror to energy security, environmental degradation, and trade.

This volume, “America’s Role in Asia: Asian and American Views,” is the culmination of a year-long project on U.S.-Asian relations sponsored by The Asia Foundation. The volume puts forward findings and concrete recommendations for U.S. policy toward the region by a distinguished group of Americans and Asians. The project and its publication reflect The Asia Foundation’s view that if workable solutions to common problems are to be found, perspectives from both sides of the Pacific must be heard and shared.

Specifical Recommendations:
1. The U.S. should actively support a regional architecture in Asia. Bilateral relations are important, but greater emphasis should be placed on multinational diplomacy around political, economic, and security issues. This includes signing the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), which, at a minimum, would allow the United States to be an effective dialogue partner with members of the East Asia Summit. The U.S. signature would also illustrate its confidence in regional organizations such as ASEAN, ARF, and APEC.

2. The new U.S. administration should take two critical steps toward improving trade with the region. First, seek an early and successful conclusion of the Doha Development Round (DDA) under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Second, Congress should give the 44th president fast-track trade negotiating authority, through which it could ratify the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

3. The next administration should work with Asian regional institutions to begin a dialogue on energy security and climate change — especially in the area of curbing greenhouse gas emissions – and to bring the post-Kyoto negotiations to a successful conclusion. The United States must share with its Asian partners its expertise in energy efficiency, clean and renewable energy, carbon capture and sequestration, and other technologies.

4. Over the past several years, the United States, despite irritants, has been able to maintain sound and sensible relations with China. The 44th president should not be tempted to score domestic political points by using contentious rhetoric toward China. The new administration should take advantage of China’s declared intention not to upset the status-quo and its willingness to maintain good relations with the United States.

5. A long-term military and development commitment to Afghanistan must be clearly and repeatedly articulated. There is a widespread assumption in Asia (particularly South Asia) that U.S. attention to Afghanistan is, at best, short-term. If the United States prepares to draw down its forces in Iraq in the coming years, it should be in a position to enhance U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan. Such a commitment must be supplemented by a range of economic and development measures that increase Afghanistan’s national capacity to effectively govern and provide for its own security in all 34 provinces.

6. The United States should also help Pakistan and Afghanistan resolve their long-standing border issues in a diplomatic and nuanced way. The United States must undertake a significant effort to win political support among the Pashtun tribes, separate them from al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and make them stakeholders in the war against terror. The United States must help the Pakistani and Afghan governments strengthen the traditional Pashtun tribal structures.

7. The transformation of the relationship with India has been a major contribution of the Bush administration to the evolution of U.S. policy in Asia and has had strong support from the Democratic Party. Building on this bipartisan consensus, the next administration must complete the implementation of the historic civil nuclear initiative between the two countries and consolidate the strategic partnership with New Delhi.

8. As the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) emerges at the top of the new administration’s agenda, Washington will need a comprehensive strategy. In East Asia, the new U.S. president would be well advised to continue with the North Korea policy adopted by the Bush administration in spring 2007. More broadly, the United States can help reinvigorate the global nuclear order by agreeing to significant reductions in the American and Russian nuclear arsenals; encouraging China and India to contribute more to the maintenance of the non-proliferation regime; boosting the institutional capacity of the International Atomic Energy Agency (the principal watchdog working to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons); and balancing the competing imperatives of increased use of nuclear energy for electric power generation around the world.

9. Finally, the United States must devote more attention to its public diplomacy efforts with the Asian people. This includes strengthening educational, intellectual, and cultural ties to civil society organizations and Asian opinion leaders .

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Recommendations for U.S. policy from both sides of the Pacific

First Edition
Copyright 2008 by The Asia Foundation
465 California Street 9th Floor, San Francisco CA 94104
ISBN 1-892325-08-X

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Asian Views of America’s Role in Asia 2008:
An Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
The U.S. Role in Northeast Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
The United States and Southeast Asia . . . . . . . . . . . .35
The U.S. Role in South Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
American Overview: Asian Policy Challenges
for the Next President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
U.S. Economic Policy Toward Asia for the
Incoming Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
America’s Role in Engaging with Asia’s
New Regionalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Energy Security in the Asia-Pacific Region and
Policy for the New U.S. Administration . . . . . . . . . .131
Asia’s Environmental Crisis: Why the U.S.
Should Care and What It Should Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Reduce, Maintain, Enhance: U.S. Force Structure
Changes in the Asia-Pacific Region . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Alliance Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
China Policy for the Next U.S. Administration . . . . .183
A Moment of Opportunity in the Taiwan Strait? . . .195
U.S.-Japan Relations: What Should
Washington Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
U.S. Relations with the Korean Peninsula:
Recommendations for a New Administration . . . . .219
Group Think:
The Challenge of U.S.-ASEAN Relations . . . . . . . . . .231
Countering Terrorism in East Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
U.S.-India Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
Pakistan: Old Problems, New Answers? . . . . . . . . .271
U.S. Policy Toward Afghanistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .283
Members of the America’s Role in Asia
Working Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303

ABOUT THE ASIAN FOUNDATION

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society; women’s empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

With a network of 17 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2007, the Foundation provided more than $68 million in program support and distributed 974,000 books and educational materials valued at $33 million throughout Asia.

The Asia Foundation is not an endowed organization, and depends solely on monetary contributions from donors to accomplish its work.

For more information, visit www.asiafoundation.org.

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