Publications

U.S. relations with Southeast Asia remain one of the most under-developed dimensions of American engagement with Asia. A rising chorus of voices argues that Washington has missed a series of opportunities to build better relations with a sub-region of growing weight in the global economy. That failure takes on greater significance given Chinese efforts to build stronger ties to a region that has traditionally looked at Beijing with considerable skepticism and even suspicion.

Over the last year, the Stanley Foundation has convened a series of meetings to explore changing power dynamics in Southeast Asia. The last in that set was held in Honolulu in June 2008, hosted by Pacific Forum CSIS, to develop recommendations for the next U.S. administration’s policy toward Southeast Asia. A group of 10 Pacific Forum CSIS Young Leaders joined those discussions, and provided their own assessment of ways for the U.S. to improve relations with Southeast Asia. Those recommendations are spelled out in the pages that follow.