HONOLULU -- During a gathering of Asians and Americans in Honolulu, the Asians seemed ambivalent about the role of the United States in their region. As one put it, "We want the Americans to be on tap but not on top."
Most of the Asians, who came from the vast triangle bounded by the Koreas, Australia and Pakistan, wanted a strong American diplomatic and military presence, lucrative ties with the U.S. in trade and investment, and swift disaster relief -- but without being overshadowed by U.S. power.
A point of friction arose over defining an Islamic connection with terror. Asians and Americans agreed that not all Muslims were terrorists but that almost all terrorists today were Muslims. When an American suggested, however, that moderate Muslim leaders had failed to take a stand against terror, a Muslim retorted: "Muslim leaders are not taking sides. Why should they?"