Contemporary American Influence in South and Southeast Asia

Abstract

American contact with southern Asia was very limited prior to World War II, and since that time has been un usually dominated by military considerations. In the wake of European decolonization, the United States became a major diplomatic and political force throughout the region, and the products and style of its material culture have a widespread ap peal. Cultural, intellectual, and aesthetic influence has been less marked, largely because of the residual colonial cultural bias, the appeals of the new nationalism, fear of American psychological "neoimperialism," and awe of America's strength and wealth. In the region, many American efforts to communi cate cultural universals have failed because of the strident cold-war atmosphere on China's frontiers. Cultural exchange programs have been somewhat more successful, but America's unique location and wealth do not always speak to Asia's needs. In an environment characterized by suspicion and envy, higher levels of contact and communication between America and southern Asia may, in fact, further estrange the United States and the states of South and Southeast Asia.