The US is still persistent in interfering in foreign nations domestic affairs, aiming at forcing hands and imposing its terms and conditions on foreign governments. The members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) too face such interference on a regular basis.

The current occupant of the White House always assures the Asean countries of mutual beneficial and equitable partnership but it always has issues to rise and problems to create.

Washington will always replace bilateral cooperation with absolute imposition of its political recommendations, going as far as criticizing the democratic institutions of a certain nations or the decision process in others.

This kind of interference became more obvious during the latest ASEAN meetings in Singapore in July this year, when the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made some internal Asian issues become the subject to tough criticism. For example, she sturdily criticized Kuala Lumpur for taking into custody Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, insisting on open judicial trial with international human rights organization’s participation.

Myanmar once again received strong recommendation to follow the western pattern of democracy and social relations on its way for political and economical restructuring. The US even used the cyclone that devastated Myanmar to criticize the military junta in power in the country and to press for democratic reforms.

The U.S. time and again mentioned armed clashes during the old and settled Indonesia-West Timor conflict, accusing Indonesia of military rules violations, civilians kidnapping and murder. C. Rice especially stressed the U.S. significant role in making possible bilateral Indonesian-West Timor talks to end the conflict. She also made it clear that the future of US-Indonesian relations will depend on Jakarta’s will to follow the U.S advices in foreign policy issues.

Jakarta has gone to great length to satisfy Washington’s need in the war on terror by arresting people left and right and accusing them of arms possession and of planning terror acts. There has been very little evidence though that the people arrested were really planning attacks or they were hiding arms cache for security reasons. It is common in Indonesia for locals to keep weapons in order to defend their families and properties in case of violence for example.

Regional experts underlined those facts to Worldfutures.info to press home the fact that while Washington is proclaiming further US-ASEAN bilateral cooperation, at the same time it is seeking for constantly growing U.S. influence in the ASEAN’s political decisions.

One example of this protracted ‘battle’ the US is subjecting the Asean to is the position of Malaysia with regards to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). US investment in Malaysia has dipped and this can be seen by the lack of US major investors installing themselves in the country. The aim of such a drought in US investment is obviously to press Malaysia to sign the long delayed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) deal for example.

The most eloquent example of such an influence is US-Philippines relationship, when United States carries out their own policy and feels so comfortable on their own. A recent incident is the illegal entry of American naval forces in the country’s territorial waters this despite official protests by President Arroyo and the Philippine government and local juridical authority’s objections.

The Muslim community in the Philippines too protested wildly to the illegal presence of the US naval forces – which even disembarked inland to hunt suspected Muslim extremists. But all the protests ended in deaf ears and Washington pressed forward with its agenda, showing great disrespect for the territorial integrity of an Asean member state.

In this particular situation it will be quite reasonable for ASEAN countries to be more critical to the latest U.S. political initiatives, to widen and strengthen already existing political and economical ties with the regional powers such as China and Japan, as well as to look for new partners, making political situation in South-East Asia more balanced and stable.

The current imbalance with the forceful presence of the US almost everywhere in the Asean nations does not augur good for the integrity of the movement. The Asean, as an independent organization, need to implement fresh resolutions that will encourage its member states to take its China-Asean, Korea-Asean or Russia-Asean and India-Asean dialogues more seriously.

It has to voice its views with regards to the excesses of an American administration that has not finished to shock and awe the world with its authoritarian ways. It is an awful thing to see such an organization fall into the traps laid by Washington, this at a time when the world is heading for a borderless global one.

It is to be wondered whether the Asean can keep ignoring the rapid growth of China, which is a potential investor and importer as well as a country that offers the Asean investment prospects almost without restrictions.

Enhancing the relationship between the Asean and China will strike a balance for the movement as it will allow the member states to limit their already too huge dependency on Washington.

India too offers huge and varied potentials that can be exploited by the Asean movement while Russia’s rich energy sector may become a source of investment for the Asean member states. Moscow has an open arm policy that can be curtailed according to the needs of the member states much to the surprise of the Asean.

One thing with the other economic partners of the Asean – other than the US indeed – is that they do not interfere in the political or local agenda’s of the nations with which they deal business.

This would then be in accordance with the global world philosophy that has gripped the world well before the turn of the last century into the new century. The only problem is that the Asean is really under the yolk of the US and is finding it tough to break-away from this suffocating influence that is doing nothing but creating more problems for the movement.

China, India or Russia does not impose democracy on the Asean member states and they do not make unnecessary comments on the political or local agenda’s in the Asean nations. What they offer is bilateral cooperation, aid and political support at international level in case of a major crisis.

The US on the contrary tends to violate the integrity of nations with which it deals and compromise the credibility of its partner’s altogether. In pursuance of its ‘democracy’ for all policy, it makes the other party feel vulnerable, fearful of Washington and can bend the partner nation’s policies at its own will.

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meddle or middle
written by okonlow, September 03, 2008

Either in the middle or meddling things, the US is good at it. we can c that in the way the US tramples on other countries rights everytime an issue comes up. Asean not in position to stop such a thing unfortunately.

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written by Bored, November 26, 2008

i think US government has too many free times... that's why they like to interfere with other country's internal affairs... i suggest them to look after their people 1st... US people are used to be seen as with limited morality in their lifestyle...

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