2002
SOUTH KOREA: Protests Show Rising Hostility toward U.S. Policies
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Nov 26 — The acquittals by a U.S. military court in South Korea of two U.S. soldiers, charged with negligent homicide in the deaths of two Korean schoolgirls, has sparked a wave of indignation against the United States and its 37,000 troops on the peninsula.
U.S.-Asia: Diplomacy, Not Unilateralism, is the Way to Go
by Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Nov 21— As the United States prepares for war in Iraq and expands its military role in Afghanistan, it faces serious challenges in Asia that require adroit diplomacy, including North Korea's apparent violation of its 1994 agreement not to develop nuclear weapons and Japan's economic slowdown.In confronting these issues, analysts say, the Bush administration would be wise to abandon its unilateral approach to global tensions — as it did recently when it sought U.N. approval for weapons inspections in Iraq — and rely more on its allies and friends in the Asian region.
POLITICS: Slowly, China Adopts Multilateral Approach to Diplomacy
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Oct 29 — Chinese President Jiang Zemin's pledge to work with the Bush administration and the leaders of Japan and South Korea to develop a common approach to North Korea reflects Beijing's gradual shift toward multilateralism in its foreign policy, China experts say.
JAPAN: Painful Changes Can Boost Financial Muscle — Experts
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Oct 11 — As Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi moves forward on his government's plans to clean up the country's bad loans, he should also be formulating policies to maintain the competitiveness of its most advanced industries and expand the employment base.
JAPAN: U.S. Bases Complicate Ties, Foreign Policy — Diplomat
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Oct 8 — The heavy U.S. military presence in Okinawa was "unnecessary after the Vietnam War" and should have been re-examined by the United States and Japan when the island was formally returned to Japanese control in 1972, a leading Japanese diplomat says.
JAPAN: Politician Reflects Tokyo's Ambivalence in Foreign Affairs
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Sep 22 — Kono Taro, a rising star in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), demonstrates his government's ambivalence on foreign affairs and the U.S.-Japan security alliance.
POLITICS: Washington Eager to Help Jakarta Depite Few Reforms
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Jun 22 — As U.S. officials lobby Congress to approve a 16 million U.S. dollar package of military aid for Indonesia, they are stressing the need to support political stability in the world's largest Muslim nation while downplaying Jakarta's role in the global war against terrorism.
POLITICS: War Memories 'Nationalised' in Asia's Psyche
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, May 22 — Nearly 60 years after Japan's surrender brought an end to World War II, memories of that conflict and disputes over its significance still bedevil relations between Japan and the countries affected by its aggression in Asia.
ASIA: Aftershock of Sep. 11 Felt Most in Domestic Politics
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Apr 9 — Despite the seismic changes in global politics since last year's terrorist attacks on the United States, the greatest impact on Asia from Sep. 11 and its aftermath is likely to be felt internally, in relations between local governments and their citizens.
POLITICS-U.S.: Tensions with Asia Intensify Since Bush's Visit
By Tim Shorrock
WASHINGTON, Mar 15 — U.S. President George W Bush's recent visit to North-east Asia, his administration's new, more flexible policies on using nuclear weapons, and the possibility of a U.S. war with Iraq have intensified Asian concerns about a unilateralist American foreign policy that could plunge the region into crisis.
