The new US foreign-policy emphasis delineated in President George W Bush's inauguration speech and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearings concurrently have drawn praise and alarm by Asian politicians and pundits already concerned by the administration's perceived unilateralist tendencies. The conflicting messages of activism and restraint have led to confusion over the extent to which the US will pursue a more activist policy to undermine or unseat oppressive regimes. White House counselor Daniel Bartlett commented that the speech was meant to "crystallize the debate [to] say what are our ideals", whereas another official described it as "a bit of an acceleration, a raising of the priority".

But it's the acceleration that's worrying Asia. In any case, attention has been refocused on North Korea, not just raising hopes for new diplomatic initiatives but also increasing trepidation over potential ratcheting up of peninsular tensions. President Bush's forthcoming State of the Union address will be dissected for clues on future US policy directions in Asia.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/GA26Dg01.html


From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - January 27th, 2005