ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses trends in political and economic development in East and Southeast Asia, the US interest in the area, and the likely willingness and capacity of the United States to be influential given that its interest continues. The United States needs to reassure others that it wants to be associated with the process of Asian economic development, which will be going on in any case, in a constructive, responsible, and overall sustained fashion. The best guarantee for stability is success in the national development effort plus continued rejection of intervention by the major outside powers: the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the United States. The issues of the contribution of multinationals, positive or negative and other societal objectives in the developing world are the most controversial in the literature. As in the gradual abandonment of the US “special relationship” with Latin America, it means a relatively greater realization of Japan’s rights and responsibilities as a major power.
