Dealing with Allies and Neutrals
WALKER, RICHARD L.
Dealing with Allies and Neutrals American-Asian Tensions. Ed. by Robert Strausz-Hupe, Alvin J. Cottrell & James E. Dougherty. Praeger. 239 pp. $3.75. Reviewed by Richard L. Walker Author, "China...
...They encourage thinking and action which ignore the individuality of these new states and encourage people who, like Mr...
...A nice distinction, and a meaningful one, is drawn between Indian and Indonesian neutralism, which are characterized as "ideological," and that of Egypt, which is termed "tactical...
...All in all, the book is helpful and informative...
...In the cases of Japan and the Philippines, causes for tension are not so fundamental, and the reader is aware that some relatively minor concessions and changes in attitude on the part of the United States would enable us to overcome many of them...
...They are careful to point out that their exclusive focus on tensions, especially in the cases of Japan and the Philippines, should not be allowed to obscure the many important areas of cooperation and mutual agreement...
...Divergent U.S...
...The authors have performed a good service...
...The average reader will come away shaking his head with wonder that we have fared so well in the face of such complexity...
...The chapter on India is especially good...
...It is a fine contribution both as necessary information for understanding today's headlines and as an antidote to the simple-solution approach to Asia...
...The authors define "tensions" as the pursuit of incompatible foreign policy objectives over a period of years...
...Working from this definition, they examine items at issue between the United States and three groups of countries: neutrals, India and Indonesia...
...relations will have to come from New Delhi...
...and Indian positions on many thorny questions are shown to stem from a basic disagreement in analyzing the contemporary world political situation: "The United States and its allies are convinced that the prime threat is totalitarian Communism, operating from a powerful Sino-Soviet base...
...It is made clear that here is a reserve of respect and good will which must be constantly nourished...
...India disagrees, believing instead that the vestiges of Western colonial imperialism in Asia and the resurgence of this imperialism in Africa constitute the gravest obstacle to the achievement of political freedom outside the Communist orbit...
...Reviewed by Richard L. Walker Author, "China under Communism'' There is no question that, in carrying on its relations with the newly independent states of Asia, the United States has been confronted with some major foreign policy problems...
...Nehru or Chou En-lai, aspire to be spokesmen for all of Asia...
...The authors point out in their conclusion that many of the Indian desiderata would represent psychological or strategic setbacks for the West, and, although they might placate the Indian Government and public opinion temporarily, they would not really eliminate the basic causes of U.S.-Indian tensions...
...Although our relations with the individual states are conducted in an atmosphere where there are such common denominators as demand for economic development, lingering memories of colonialism and fear of its resurgence, and anger over attitudes of white superiority, each relationship has individual problems...
...and a special type of neutral in the Arab world, Egypt...
...American-Asian Tensions sketches the background and analyzes briefly but adequately major United States foreign policy problems in relation to five countries...
...Their conclusion regarding India: "The initiative for an improvement in Indo-U.S...
...He will have sympathy for the Secretary of State, Democrat or Republican, who must cope with such a variety of problems in which the solution to one seems inevitably to create another of equal seriousness...
...The result is a collection of five vivid, lucid short essays bound together by an introduction and a final chapter of general conclusions into a volume which is a great aid to understanding important aspects of the United States world position...
...Analysis of the Indian position on world affairs shows that practically every policy which India urges upon the United States "involves, not Indian interests directly, but the interests of other countries...
...allies, Japan and the Philippines...
...This technique enables them to bring out the extent to which items of tension in relations with the United States are also internal political issues...
...Those who talk about these in terms of "Asian problems" or advance "solutions for Asia" frequently do great disservice...
...In order to give authority to their presentation, the authors have combed thoroughly the leading publications and statements of political leaders within each of the five countries and have extracted key quotations representing attitudes and positions held...
...The unique character of each creates a situation in which practically no decision is either simple or clear-cut...
...The case of neutralism gets interesting treatment, not only in regard to India, but in the chapters on Indonesia and Egypt as well...
...These two Asian countries can probably do more than we ourselves to combat fears of American "imperialism" nurtured by Moscow and Peking and subscribed to by neutralist leaders...
Vol. 39 • October 1956 • No. 43
