Chapter 4: Southeast Asia: the Second Front

Since 11 September 2001, President George W. Bush's administration has argued that when governments respect both the rule of law and human rights they contribute to a world where terrorism cannot thrive. For this reason, as well as its commitment to promote its own values, the US claims that it will not relax its efforts to advance human rights. However, since 11 September the US has often apparently compromised its stance on human rights promotion abroad, in its search for military bases, intelligence cooperation and political support in the struggle against terrorism. This Adelphi Paper investigates how national security and human rights considerations have been accommodated in US policy towards five Asian states: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Washington values its cooperation with all five countries in its ongoing anti-terrorist campaign. The Paper's main conclusion is a qualified one: in general, US levels of concern about the human-rights record of these five states has diminished and each has exploited the room for manoeuvre offered by changes in US domestic and foreign policies. Nevertheless, where the US executive and legislative branches, together with civil society, are united in their condemnation of a country's human rights record, then US rhetorical attention to that record remains in place, even if the state is perceived as central to anti-terrorist operations.