Asian region needs urgent US attention: Scholar

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 02/17/2009 1:43 PM  |  World

The health of the ailing US economy is currently linked to Asia in fundamental ways that, if not grasped quickly by the Barack Obama administration, could have intended, adverse consequences a new report says.

The America's Role in Asia: Asian and American Views, a report on foreign policy recommendations, was prepared by 20 Asian and US experts. It was officially launched at a seminar at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta on Monday.

"The (Asia) region needs urgent attention," said Stapleton Roy, former US assistant secretary of state and US ambassador to Indonesia, in his keynote address.

In fact, US new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is currently in Asia to foster a new partnership with Asia's dynamic countries like Japan, China, South Korea and Indonesia.

Clinton will visit Indonesia, the home to the world's biggest Muslim population, from Wednesday to Thursday to prepare the groundwork for establishing a new strategic partnership between the two countries.

Monday's event, which was attended by Indonesia's Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and several scholars, mainly focused on policy recommendations to enhance Indonesia-US relations.

The event was jointly organized by The Asia Foundation and the CSIS.

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization which focuses on the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provides US policymakers with concrete recommendations on how to address pressing challenges and opportunities in Asia.

It also touches issues in Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Asia's energy security, environmental degradation, regional alliances, trade and investment.

The full report, including key findings and policy recommendations, is available to download at the www.asiafoundation.org.

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