ASEAN countries justifiably cautious of US leadership
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That being said, ASEAN countries will attempt to assert themselves, but it's doubtful they'll have much success. Supposedly, the U.S. is an equal partner; however, it's had a tendency to involve itself with the domestic affairs of others or engage in internal disputes of other regions. It will try to drive ASEAN to take measures that serve U.S. interests East Asia and the region. In an effort to further exert influence over ASEAN, it's been working to integrate ASEAN-led meetings into APEC meetings.
ASEAN countries should be skeptical of U.S. intentions and assert themselves in their relationships with the superpower. History has shown that ASEAN always plays second fiddle on the agenda of U.S. presidents, who focus most of their attention their domestic economy and Middle East conflicts. The US-ASEAN summit was a lower priority than APEC last year and remains less important than the UN General Assembly. The U.S. president rarely can spare time to discuss ASEAN nations' primary concerns, such as the US-ASEAN free trade, U.S. development aid to ASEAN, U.S. promotion of ASEAN community building, and elevation of ASEAN's status globally.
As the largest member in ASEAN, Indonesia is getting annoyed about the U.S. policy toward ASEAN, and subsequently, Indonesia president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will skip the coming summit. I interpret this as revenge for Obama delaying his Indonesia visit three times, and it's likely Susilo is wary of the U.S. dominating the summit.
ASEAN is not constituted to balance or counter the U.S., yet maintains vigilance when dealing the U.S. in the region. The cooperation-competition dynamic has become the crux of US-ASEAN relations. ASEAN is a collection of countries sensitive to their independence, and they will naturally reject U.S. assertiveness in the region for fear of it causing regional upheaval.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn For more information please visit
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/node_7075407.htm
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