CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- The issue is not new, but it has recently resurfaced: How is U.S. foreign policy coordinated and articulated, particularly when it affects Asia?
A few weeks ago, the International Herald Tribune ran an article headlined "A persistent admiral helped set America's course on Indonesia." Lacking inside knowledge of the full dimensions of the incident, I can only reflect the concern of a confused observer.
According to the Herald, Admiral Dennis Cutler Blair, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, recently had a run-in with the U.S. ambassador in Jakarta, Robert Gelbard, and other officials at the State Department as well as Congress, over the admiral's plan to engage the Indonesian military. The ambassador and the State Department opposed such a move. The admiral's mission to Indonesia was perceived in the article to be a "diplomatic triumph," a reiteration of the foreign-policy "clout" of regional commanders in chief, who appear to be gaining influence in shaping Washington's foreign-policy strategies.