European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 29, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse The China Korea Alliance continues to be a key Clement of asian politics. Here Liu Huiqing left vice chairman of China s Central military commission greets Choi Gwang North Korea military chief of staff. The asian Way doctrine emerging asian political movement May spell declining . Influence North Korea s decision to bar inspectors from its nuclear facilities left led to the mediation visit by former president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn. By Charles p. Wallace los Angeles times Early 30 years ago the United states issued. A Clarion Call against the spread of communism in Asia and Southeast asian nations eagerly United behind the a. American initiative. A but when Washington tried to pull. A together similar support this year to isolate Myanmar a formerly known As Burma a where human rights violations Are Rife the. Coalition walked. Thailand said that instead of isolation it would offer. Quot constructive engagement Quot to the military regime in Myanmar. Singapore prime minister Goh Chok Tong paid a Friendly state visit to Yangon the capital. The six member association of Southeast asian nations even invited Myanmar to Send the Leader of its military Junta to its annual meeting this july. More Ancl More the economically booming nations of Asia Are flexing their political muscle in disputes with the United states and the West especially on such sensitive. Issues As human rights Freedom of expression and labor rights. Singapore stood up to the United states Over the caning of an american teen China refused to change its Domestic policies to assure most favored nation trading. Status and North Korea denied . Inspectors Access to its nuclear program. Some Call it the asian Way others refer to Neo confucianism or East asian authoritarianism a hybrid of traditional asian culture and 1990s economics this doctrine champions society Over the individual and Quot family values Quot Over what is seen As corroding Western. Influences. A most important according to its ardent believers in China and the surrounding states of Southeast Asia economic development requires a period of political stability not possible under democracy a a notion derided by Western critics As justification for tyranny whatever the name the asian Way doctrine is a distinctly Post cold War phenomenon that May spell declining . Influence in the Region and threatens to raise friction across the Pacific in years ahead. A Quot with the growth of their economic Prosperity East asian countries Are becoming More assertive politically Quot said Washington Sycip a prominent Manila business a a consultant. Quot i think you la see them being More and More forthright and stating what their values a. Bearing him out Are statistics showing the combined Gross Domestic product of East Asia a Japan China Taiwan South Korea Southeast asian nations a was 4 percent of the world Economy in 1960 by 2010, it is expected to be 33 percent. Is the asian Way really new after All both Taiwan and South Korea boomed economically under authoritarian regimes and have made the transition to democracies but in the 1960s and 1970s, the United states was More willing to turn a Blind Eye to human rights abuses in the name of anti communist Solidarity. Only since the cold War ended in 1988 has Washington seemed eager to confront asian countries with broader issues of democracy and labor rights. The most dramatic example of asian muscle flexing is the debate Between Washington and the communist rulers in Beijing Over human rights culminating in president Clinton s decision to renew most favored nation Trade status for China. The United states had linked continuation of the Trade benefits with human rights improvements was forced to make an embarrassing Retreat. A when Secretary of state Warren Christopher visited Beijing in March Premier i Peng warned him that China Quot will never accept . Human rights As Christopher expressed outrage at the detention of chinese dissidents i responded by warning that if its Trade status is revoked Quot the United states will suffer no less than . China s Economy is booming with growth at 13.4 percent last year and european As Well As american businesses Are scrambling to enter the Market. Even though China runs a $23-billion surplus with the United states meaning it would suffer much More from a Trade drop it was american businessmen who spoke gloomily about the potential loss of 200,000 jobs if Man status were revoked a enough to Sway the president. While Many asian countries remain wary of a resurgent China the . Linkage of Trade and human rights did not find a sympathetic audience Region Quot when China becomes powerful in 20 or 30 years time there is no reason Why China should behave kindly toward t he West Quot said Singapore s coh Vohen asked about the possible effect of Trade sanctions on Beijing. A that s our worry China May want to flex its Muscles and then it will be a very troublesome a. A a a one of the paradoxes of the recent assertion of the asian Way is that no two asian nations Are culturally. Identical. Corruption free Singapore stands in contrast to the venality of Indonesia and Thailand and the Media Are As free in the Philippines and Thailand As they Are controlled in Malaysia and Singapore. -. A a yet they All have some gripes with the West and Aren t afraid to voice them. Kishore Mahbubani the top civil servant in Singapore s foreign ministry essay Iii the Washington quarterly this year in which he blamed America s current troubles on too much Freedom. A a Quot in a major reversal of a pattern lasting centuries Many Western societies a including the United states a Are. Doing some major things fundamentally wrong while a growing number of East asian societies Are doing the same things right Quot Mahbubani said., a a a a a a a Stanford University professor wryly observed that Singapore s recent caning of american teen Ager Michael Fay for vandalism made rim the first known victim of the Quot clash of civilizations expected to take place Between Asia and the United states. President Clinton denounced the punishment As extreme but Many asians a fair number of americans a decried America s crime rate a and said it needed to adopt More stringent punishments. Apart from the Issue of human rights few things make asian leaders bristle As much As the Vestern Media a a China Malaysia and Singapore have banned individual. Ownership of satellite dishes to prevent direct reception of Western programming w hich they View As an assault on asian values. A. A. Another Issue Asia and the West seem Likely to collide is labor rights. The United states and France have suggested that a worldwide minimum wage be adopted by the world Trade organization to Stop the exploitation of workers in poor countries. A Malaysia s prime minister Mah Athir Mohammed said the West s Quot professed concern about workers welfare is motivated by self interest a because he said Low wages Are the developing world s Only competitive advantage against the industrialized West Washington s newfound concern for workers rights is div right exploitation of workers in poor countries a Carter s meetings with North korean president Kim ii Sung May have helped Cool tensions. soldiers train on a Patriot missile system at Osan a South of Seoul South Korea. Deployment of additional patriots has contributed to higher tensions in the Region. Uneasy Calm for . Troops by Laura King the associated press a a Hen pfc. Ahn Bowen is Busy repairing a a Hur Nyee engines on Yon san a by. A compound in Seoul South Korea he a in does t dwell on the nuclear crisis inh a North Korea he does t have to a a Blib it s always in the Back of his mind. Ii. Quot i never think about it Quot the.25-�� year old texan said quietly last week As he turned a Coffee Mug in callused hands Quot and i never Don t think about across the base . Pry a colonel s wife was making a Quick Stop at the commissary to buy sodas for her two sons. A Small frown creased her forehead at the mention Korea. 1 Quot a m just doing what i always do looking after my family Quot she said Quot i think if it were really dangerous they d get the dependents out of Yon san is the Headquarters of he . 8th army Home to 7,500 american soldiers family members and civilian employees. A. . Forces in South Korea numbering about 36,000, Are a crucial line of defense against any attack by North Korea. The North says economic sanctions a which the. United nations is considering to Force the communist. State to open its nuclear program a a would mean War. That leaves soldiers and their family members More. Aware than Ever that military life can be a risky business. Most Are matter of fact about it. Quot i just keep Busy so it s not constantly on my mind Quot said pfc. Joshua. Madarasz 20, a computer operator from a Oakland Calif. Quot you have to get through each Madarasz wife and two infant daughters Are Back Home and he talked about How badly he missed them a he paused for a moment then added Quot of course if they were Here i d worry about . A the . Military says that so. Far there Are no plans to activate procedures for evacuating dependents and non a essential personnel. Last month Yon san had its regular twice a year evacuation Drill in which families gathered essential documents and cd cracked in at Assembly Points. At the base s High school vice principal Leon Brash Ier says he does t believe his students a who have studied the 1950-53 korean War in which More than 33,000 americans died a thought much about die possibility of another War in Korea. But Janell a Watkins a 17-year-old Junior whose parents Are both Supply sergeants. Disagreed a Quot i worry about it All the time a All the time Quot she said. Hanging out after school with friends in a fast foot restaurant on base. Quot but i Don t ask my teachers. Some questions they can t for Many soldiers the worst part of duty Here is that friends and family at Home watch the to news read the papers and fret about them. Quot it s got to affect morale when you re getting letters from grandma and she thinks you re Over Here in a foxhole with artillery raining Down on you Quot said col Michael Sullivan a Public affairs officer. Quot right now the. Rhetoric is intense but the situation on the ground is still both sides Are keeping a close Eye on each other s movements near the heavily fortified Border even backed up by . Troops the South s 650,000-Momher army is outnumbered by North Korea s 1.1 million troops the balance is tipped by sophisticated . Weaponry and the close proximity of american reinforcements including the Independence aircraft Carrier group. The , military Community in South Korea Iskoe knit to the Point of insularity Yon san is in Central Seoul but Many americans hardly Ever leave the Haw. A they say they feel isolated by the language Barrier and demanding work schedules leave them Little free time. Many also say privately that they re put Oil by Public. Expressions of anti american sentiment even it i in y re impressed with the warmth and kindliness of individual South koreans. A a a for soldiers the Day to Day discipline of military Lile is a distraction from their concerns but it does t erase them a Quot the work routine helps Quot said bowery the military vehicle Mechanic. Quot but you re never prepared for War. I mean there s readiness to do your Job but that s a a base chaplain Kenneth Seifried like Pasti As everywhere is there to listen when his parishioners have personal problems. They talk to him about Rocky marriages Job concerns health fears a hut not the situation in tire North. Quot it s More something that s there in tire background buried Quot he said Quot but we always Pray for Pear it v 18 the stars and stripes wednesday. June 29, 1994 the stars and stripes 19
