Asian regionalism and US policy : the case for creative adaptation.

Abstract

The United States belongs to various organizations and networks that encompass countries on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. The East Asia Summit (EAS) is not

among them. Should the US try to join? This paper answers that question with a

qualified yes: Despite formidable difficulties affecting President Obama’s schedule

of foreign travel, his administration should try to “ease” the US into the Summit,

initially as a guest of the host country. Eventually, pending a review of the EAS’s prior performance and future prospects, the administration may wish to upgrade that

status to membership. The paper uses this case to illustrate larger themes, discusses the relevance of frameworks other than the EAS, and recommends, between radical innovation and benign indifference, a policy of creative adaptation to regionalism in

East Asia.