Comments on: Thinking about the Asia Pacific Community http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/12/06/thinking-about-the-asia-pacific-community/ Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:50:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: Lex Rieffelhttp://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/12/06/thinking-about-the-asia-pacific-community/comment-page-1/#comment-82937 Lex Rieffel Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:40:37 +0000 http://www.eastasiaforum.org/?p=8286#comment-82937 I continue to be mystified by the concept of an Asian-Pacific Community. The Atlantic Community (US/Canada and Europe, but excluding Latin America and Africa) is an historic construct rooted in a common ethnic/religious heritage. No such heritage exists across the Pacific, and including Latin America makes the concept even stranger. I continue to be mystified by the implication that the United States should be part of the Asian Community, more (for example) than it is part of the European Community. I continue to be mystified by why the United States has invested so much in Asian regional cooperation and so little in Western Hemisphere regional cooperation. It seems obvious that the United States and an enormous strategic stake in East Asian regional cooperation (arguably including Australia/NZ), but far from obvious that a larger role for the United States would contribute to strengthening it. Instead it seems more likely that East Asian regional cooperation will advance further and faster if the United States steps back and lets Asians be Asian. Instead of continuing to advise Asians on what to do and how to do it, hasn't the time come for the United States to listen to Asian voices and look for lessons for America in the Asian experience? I continue to be mystified by the concept of an Asian-Pacific Community. The Atlantic Community (US/Canada and Europe, but excluding Latin America and Africa) is an historic construct rooted in a common ethnic/religious heritage. No such heritage exists across the Pacific, and including Latin America makes the concept even stranger.

I continue to be mystified by the implication that the United States should be part of the Asian Community, more (for example) than it is part of the European Community.

I continue to be mystified by why the United States has invested so much in Asian regional cooperation and so little in Western Hemisphere regional cooperation.

It seems obvious that the United States and an enormous strategic stake in East Asian regional cooperation (arguably including Australia/NZ), but far from obvious that a larger role for the United States would contribute to strengthening it. Instead it seems more likely that East Asian regional cooperation will advance further and faster if the United States steps back and lets Asians be Asian. Instead of continuing to advise Asians on what to do and how to do it, hasn’t the time come for the United States to listen to Asian voices and look for lessons for America in the Asian experience?

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