June 28, 2001
Mr. Thomas Fingar,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of
Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State.
In his excellent lecture, Deputy
Principal Assistant Secretary of State,
Dr. Thomas Fingar,
outlined the Bush Administration’s foreign policy
principles and its external challenges in East Asia.
These principles, he said, sometimes require different
attitudes, approaches, and flexibility on different
issues. This complex diplomacy somehow, in the end, is
producing net benefit.
Speaking about the People’s Republic
of China (PRC) and, India, Fingar pointed out that
these two fast rising powers aspires increasingly
greater roles in Asia, and the U.S. interest is to
integrate them into the international system. The
relationships between the PRC and Taiwan constitute
one of the potential incendiary areas, and the U.S.
has to deal with this difficult issue. Fingar spoke at
great length about Japan. He remarked that one of our
major objectives is to preserve Japanese confidence in
the United States.
As far as North Korea is concerned,
our speaker was of the opinion that there is a real
chance of accommodation between North and South Korea,
and there is hope that the U.S. and North Korea would
end their state of hostility.
Vietnam is obviously a missing piece
of the puzzle, said our speaker. Indonesia, however,
is the biggest wild card. It is fragile and could
fall apart.
Dr. Fingar closed his well-received
briefing by saying that the Russian Far East is still
oriented to Moscow and Europe, not to regions is
located. Thus, it does not pose a military threat, but
its arms sale to China are cause of concern.
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