The Bush administration and Asia Pacific multilateralism: unrequited love?

Abstract

This article challenges the presumed multilateral aversion of the George W. Bush administration. It argues that, at least in its approach toward the Asia-Pacific, this administration has been a more active and stimulatory advocate of multilateral approaches than is commonly acknowledged. The article begins by documenting the Bush administration's multilateral activism in the Asia-Pacific and examines those factors which appear to have contributed towards it. It then goes on to demonstrate, however, that Bush's at times unexpected enthusiasm for multilateral approaches has encountered a high degree of regional reticence. For a part of the world that has been affording an increased prominence to multilateral institutions and activities, this finding is initially both surprising and significant. The article concludes by seeking to account for this apparent anomaly and by considering its possible implications for the emerging regional architecture.

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Notes on contributors

Brendan Taylor

Brendan Taylor is a lecturer in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University. He is the editor of Australia as an Asia-Pacific Regional Power: Friendships in Flux? (London: Routledge, 2007). He also teaches courses on ‘The US and Asian Security’ and ‘Asia-Pacific security’ in the Graduate Studies in Strategy and Defence (GSSD) Program, Australian National University. He is currently writing a book on American sanctions policy in the Asia-Pacific