May 22, 2012
Understanding the identities of Asian nations could help American policymakers develop better policies toward its counterparts in the region. Identity encapsulates a nation’s historical experiences as well as its aspirations for the future, setting the stage for the country’s normative orientations toward questions of power and security in its external relations. Identities of major Asian countries, therefore, could have important implications for prospects of regional cooperation or conflict. This Policy Brief highlights some of the key insights on what this means for U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, as was discussed at a recent conference organized by the Rising Powers Initiative on April 16, 2012 in Washington, D.C.
Whereas Americans “have come to see security issues in predominantly military and coercive terms,” Asian countries may have a very different view, said Chas W. Freeman, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. In his keynote address to the conference, Freeman pointed out that U.S. military presence in Asia “is only one aspect of national security and influence,” and that “concepts of both power and security in and around Eurasia are far less unidimensional.”
By probing the multiple dimensions of national identities in Asia, U.S. policymakers might be able to set more realistic expectations in their interactions with their Asian counterparts, as seen in the cases of bilateral relations with India and the possibility of multilateral cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. A country’s identity may also point to opportunities for policy promotion and innovation, as illustrated by U.S. trade relations with Japan. However, in countries where identities are less stable, one should be also be wary of drawing premature conclusions about identity’s influence on policy, such as in China and South Korea.
Read the rest of the Policy Brief here (PDF).
By Amy Hsieh, PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science, The George Washington University
