By JIM KUHNHENN
and JULIE PACE
The Associated Press
Phnom Penh, Cambodia • For all the
attention wrenched elsewhere in recent days — on new violence in the
Middle East, the "fiscal cliff" back home — President Barack Obama’s
speedy trip to Southeast Asia achieved a major goal: It was clearly seen
in the region as a validation of Asia’s strategic importance as the
U.S. refocuses its foreign policy to counter China’s clout.
It wasn’t easy. Even in a Buddhist monastery
in Thailand, Obama could not escape the budget woes waiting for him back
home. And his historic visit to Myanmar was all but drowned out by the
rocket fire and missile strikes between Israel and Gaza. He went half a
world away to promote U.S.-style democracy but couldn’t leave his
troubles behind.
Even as Obama traipsed in stocking feet through
a temple in the heart of Bangkok, a monk wished him luck negotiating
the deficit-reduction challenge awaiting him in Washington. And the
bloodshed in the Middle East, exploding as he toured Southeast Asia for
three days, illustrated the limits of U.S. foreign policy even as he
tried to display its influence and reach.
But he came away from his trip to this corner
of the world — a place once defined by a cloistered and shunned nation
like Myanmar or by Khmer Rouge "killing fields" or by Chinese power
—with at least the hope that the example of U.S. democracy can effect
change and strengthen America’s hand.
He made his case clearly during a Bangkok news conference:
"It’s worked for us for over 200 years now, and
I think it’s going to work for Thailand and it’s going to work for this
entire region," he said. "And the alternative, I think, is a false hope
that, over time, I think erodes and collapses under the weight of
people whose aspirations are not being met."
Establishing a bigger, more influential
presence in the Asia-Pacific region has long been an Obama objective, a
goal driven by 21st century geopolitical considerations and by the
Hawaiian-born president’s own self-identity as the first Pacific
president.
Just by making the trip — and by making it his
first after his re-election — Obama made a point about the importance
the U.S. attaches to the region.
He was greeted by large crowds chanting his
name in Thailand and in Myanmar, a country less than two years removed
from a repressive military dictatorship where such assemblies were long
forbidden. The English-language Myanmar Times newspaper heralded the
arrival of "O-Burma" on its front page, while Thai newspapers praised
his apparent interest in the native brand of Buddhism following his
monastery visit.
The reception was more muted in neighboring
Cambodia, a staunch ally of China that pointedly displayed a sign at the
presidential palace welcoming Chinese premier Wen Jiabao but nothing
for Obama. Still, there was a message for Asia in Obama’s mere presence.
The president was attending an annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders
in Phnom Penh, yet another indication of U.S. intentions to pay a
bigger role in the region.
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