America's SE Asia policy

America's SE Asia policy

With the Republican National Convention in full swing, one
issue that is not featuring all that much is foreign affairs.
During a teleconference held yesterday at the U.S. Embassy (in
Bangkok), Stephen J. Hadley, foreign policy adviser for the
George W. Bush campaign, spoke from Philadelphia. He did not shed
any light at all on the overall directions of Bush's policies
towards most of Asia.

The next U.S. president has to pay more attention to Southeast
Asia, the region where the U.S. has been able to safely maintain
a military presence since World War II. Throughout the Clinton
administration, Washington has failed to come to grips with the
changing political landscape in this area, which has resulted in
a growing groundswell of anti-American sentiment.

If Southeast Asia continues to be ignored or taken for
granted, the next American leader may find a different ideology
flowering in the region, one into which it will not easily fit or
be able to influence.

-- The Nation, Bangkok