Asia’s rising status should force us to pull away our gaze at the Middle East
Posted on September 4, 2007
Earlier in the Bush administration, many officials from Asia-Pacific Rim nations complained that the United States demanded too much focus for them in the area of counter-terrorism, particularly from states like Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia, and found lessened interest on other topics that these states prioritized.
Indonesia and the Philippines have adopted new subtle, sophisticated tactics such as offering incentives in return for information and soft power tactics in the form of infrastructure — building in areas were poverty is significant and the appeal of Islamic extremism is strong.
Although far from a “victory,” these successes are important to note because the United States played a supporting role. Elsewhere in Asia, North Korea reached a deal earlier this year after many months of deadlock and disagreement over its nuclear program.
And who can ever forget China, already one year away from the Olympics and yet the scapegoat for tainted products from toothpaste to toys? China is continuing its rapid ascent economically and internationally, sparking jitters inside the Defense Department and unease in Japan and Vietnam.
China continues to develop solid relationships with traditional U.S. allies in Asia, sealing free trade agreements, joint military exercises and vending plenty of cash to fund economic developments in smaller Asian countries.
Pacific trade will remain significant to the stability of the U.S. economy. In a poll released earlier this year, 60 percent of international relations professors believe that East Asia will be the most important strategic region for the United States by the years 2020-25. With the flow of news and pace of change in the region, it may become apparent even earlier.
In a few weeks, the report from the “surge” in Iraq will be delivered to the president and Congress. Already, the situation still remains gloomy. The future geopolitical landscape of the Middle East after Iraq gets even darker — increased Iranian hegemony, the rich Persian Gulf countries considering nuclear weapons, the Palestinians quarreling amongst themselves and Pakistan remaining politically anemic.
While it is true that the national interest is for the Middle East to remain stable to ensure the continual flow of oil, leaving our foreign policy to ensure just that is enough. Adopting a longer-term perspective and avoiding grand designs of creating a democratic Middle East will save us from future foreign policy headaches that could cripple us further.
Regardless, the region America can make the greatest impact in is Asia. Over a third of humanity lives in Asia, and half of the Southeast Asian population is Muslim. The continent has lived, cooperated with and benefited from America’s interests and commitment to the region.
Hence, we must not allow Asia to slip out of our radar in exchange for obsession with Iraq and terrorism or protectionist tendencies at home. Washington can continue to play a constructive role as it has been since the end of World War II by becoming more engaged with its Asian partners.
While he’s still in office, President Bush should use his remaining foreign policy leverage to prepare the next generation of American foreign policy to deal with the continent of the century: Asia. In doing so, he should steer U.S. foreign policy toward Asia against the storm of protectionist winds, diagnose the near-sightedness of foreign policy outlook and expand engagement with important states in the region that produces a win-win situation on both sides of the Pacific.
Jeff Genota is a junior political science major.
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