The United States in Asia

Abstract

The United States in Asia. By Robert G. Sutter. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Softcover: 303pp. The ongoing debate over America's leadership role in Asia has been heated since the end of the Bush administration. Robert G. Sutter's book makes three important contributions to this debate. First, he evaluates the history of US relations with Asia; second, he examines US policy priorities towards major Asian countries; and third, he identifies the international strategies of Asian governments and their objectives and expectations regarding their relations with the United States. By connecting the past with the present, and comparing and contrasting the perspectives and policy choices of the United States and Asian countries, Sutter contextualizes America's prominent role in the complex and rapidly evolving economic, political and security environment of the Asia-Pacific region. In doing so, Sutter directly challenges the view that US leadership in the region is in decline. The book can be divided into four main parts. The first part (Chapter 1) establishes US policy objectives in Asia. Sutter convincingly argues that over the course of more than 200 years of engagement with Asia, the United States has pursued three longstanding goals, namely (i) maintaining a balance of power favourable to it, (ii) promoting US economic interests, and (iii) spreading American values. Every administration, however, has prioritized these three objectives differently. The second part (Chapters 2, 3 and 4) analyses current US interests and concerns in Asia. Using a priority list, Sutter puts China and the Korean Peninsula at the top, followed by Japan and then Southeast Asia. Sutter skillfully and meticulously frames US policy choices towards these countries with reference to the discourse between governmental and non-governmental actors in the United States. This approach enables the author to capture the influence of domestic politics in US policy towards Asia and how Washington's policy choices are often governed by domestic political and economic interests rather than in reaction to regional trends or changes in the policies of Asian governments. In the third part (Chapters 5, 6, 7 and 8), Sutter goes on to identify the determinants of Asian governments' policy calculations towards America as well as their priorities and concerns. The author draws attention to the interesting contradiction between the attention that countries in the region devote to US economic, political and security policies and objectives--which are considered the main factors regional policy-makers must take account of- and the fact that these policies and objectives constitute something of a riddle for outsiders to understand. …