ABSTRACT
The Western adventures into the Asia Pacific, prior to the 20th century, were prompted by the “search for gold.” Geographically, the Asia Pacific coincides roughly with the western rim of the Pacific Ocean. The anxiety over the military role of the Soviet Union is greater for some Western leaders than concerns over growing trade imbalances with the Asia Pacific. If the United States fares better in Asian judgments about the Cold War, it is because its economic and political orientation is better suited to the economic dynamism and political directions in the Asia Pacific. Invention and basic research, compared to innovation and applied research, are considered to be the more creative and, in time, should redress economic imbalances. Cultural and historical factors compound economic and political anxieties. The identification of individualism with major cultural themes in the liberal West is buttressed by Webster’s reference twice to the individual in defining liberalism.
