SINGAPORE -- The United States has been perceived differently by Asian countries since President George W. Bush took over the helm in Washington. Asian governments have noticed a fundamental shift toward a more "unilateralist" stance in U.S. foreign policy -- a trend that became even more accentuated after 9/11. In addition, these governments have also seen a strategic shift from the multilateral "economics" approach of the Clinton era to one that is unilateralist and focuses on terrorism.
But since early 2001, Asian governments have differed in their perception of the Bush administration and in their relations with Washington. Traditional allies like Japan and South Korea saw an utmost necessity to accommodate Bush's strategic shift, whereas a rising China saw the need to "balance" American "unilateralism" with increasing collaboration with Russia under President Vladimir Putin. But Beijing has also made tremendous efforts to normalize its own relations with Washington over the past two years.
Further south, the relationship between the U.S. and ASEAN countries entered a phase of increased uncertainty and complexity in the wake of 9/11 and the Afghan campaign. This is largely due to the Muslim makeup of principal ASEAN members.