Paper
Douglas H. Paal
{
"authors": [
"Douglas H. Paal"
],
"type": "other",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Carnegie China"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "asia",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie China",
"programAffiliation": "AP",
"programs": [
"Asia",
"South Asia"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"South Asia",
"India",
"East Asia",
"China",
"Southeast Asia",
"North Korea",
"South Korea"
],
"topics": [
"Economy",
"Trade",
"Foreign Policy"
]
}
Source: Getty
Other
Asia—Shaping the Future
The next U.S. administration needs a clear strategic vision for Asia befitting the region’s status as the new global “center of gravity.”
Published on Jun 26, 2008
The next U.S. administration needs a clear strategic vision for Asia befitting the region’s status as the new global “center of gravity.” In a new policy brief, Asia—Shaping The Future Carnegie China Program Director Douglas H. Paal presents key steps the United States should take to advance its interests in “rising Asia.”
Recommendations for the next U.S. president:
- Decide early on clear U.S. strategic objectives in the region, and signal to China where constructive cooperation will lead.
- Appoint a high-level advocate for Asia, a clear signal to the region of its importance.
- Prioritize the bewildering alphabet of organizations and venues to achieve those objectives. Consider inviting China and India to join the G8.
- Anticipate greater Chinese and Indian military and trade capabilities by developing new multilateral security and economic arrangements in the region.
- Avoid coalitions based on common values or democracy. Asia is too diverse and complicated for them to succeed.
- Ditch the “war on terror” rhetoric, which has proved divisive and counterproductive.
Paal concludes:
“In sum, the new American administration should prepare before taking office and in the immediate aftermath to address this discrete set of issues involving the Asia-Pacific region, some big and bold, others small but telling policy adjustments. Experience has shown that it would not be wise to repeat the Clinton and George W. Bush mistakes of supporting any policy but their predecessors’. Clinton’s “anything but Bush” approach to China and Bush’s “anything but Clinton” approach to North Korea have both been costly. Whether it wins one term or two, the life of any new administration will be short in retrospect. And the time for creativity and policy innovation is much shorter yet.”
About the Author
Douglas H. Paal is the director of the Carnegie China Program based in Washington and Beijing. He served as the director of the American Institute in Taiwan from April 2002 to January. Paal was the special assistant to President George H. W. Bush for National Security Affairs and senior director for Asian Affairs on the National Security Council, where he had also served during the Reagan administration.
About the Author
Douglas H. Paal
Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program
Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.
- America’s Future in a Dynamic Asia
- U.S.-China Relations at the Forty-Year MarkQ&A
- +1
Douglas H. Paal, Tong Zhao, Chen Qi, …
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Europe
- Deciphering Europe’s Relationship with TurkeyCommentary
Debate is heating up on how Turkey could be integrated into a common European defense framework. Commercial and industrial deals offer a better chance at alignment than sweeping political efforts.
Marc Pierini
- Taking the Pulse: Is it Worth it for Europeans to Placate Trump?Commentary
After spending much of 2025 trying to placate Donald Trump, some European leaders are starting to change posture. But is even a hostile Washington still so important to Europe that the U.S. president’s outbursts are worth putting up with?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
- Europeans Are Quiet Quitting the United StatesCommentary
European leaders have now not only lost faith in Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency, but also in America’s hegemony as a whole. But short-term challenges make an immediate divorce unwise.
Rym Momtaz
- EU Integration Without Ratification?Article
Countries face several hurdles in joining the EU, including the final stage of ratifying their accession treaties. Procedural reforms and substantive adjustments could help move the process forward.
Stefan Lehne
- The EU Equivocating on Turkey Is Bad GeopoliticsCommentary
Following Ursula von der Leyen’s gaffe equating Turkey to Russia and China, relations with Ankara risk deteriorating even further. Without better, more consistent diplomatic messaging, how can the EU pretend to be a geopolitical power?
Sinan Ülgen
