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THE STANLEY FOUNDATION

Vietnam, once a country wracked by violence and instability, has become a home to relative peace, vibrant economic growth, and tourists from all over the world. Since the late 1980s and the fading of the Cold War, Vietnam has become much less politically and economically isolated and more internationally active. Similarly, US attention to Southeast Asia now focuses primarily upon economic trade and investment and less on military and security matters.

Against this backdrop of the dynamically changing character and condition of Southeast Asia and renewed hope for a new and more positive relationship between the two countries, the Stanley Foundation and Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Institute for International Relations convened a two-day meeting of younger-generation Vietnamese and American policy analysts in November 1999. Excerpts from their discussion in Hanoi follows.

The US Response to the Asian Financial Crisis
"There has been considerable criticism about the slow and inadequate response of the United States to the Asian financial crisis in the region, mainly among Asian nations. When the crisis first broke out, many thought that the United States would come to the rescue, but to the contrary, it didn't. Many Asian nations thought the United States turned its back on its friends during the crisis. This affected how the aftermath of the crisis was handled...Asian nations don't want to just rely on the United States or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a crisis. Many think the United States used the crisis to promote a US agenda in Asia."

"These views and criticism of the United States were frequently heard in the region during the immediate aftermath of the crisis. The United States was taken by surprise by the pace and severity and contagion of the crisis. The United States suffered from a variety of constraints in dealing with the crisis, [including] intellectual constraints—like how to understand the problems and how to use IMF and Bretton Woods institutions to respond to the crisis. The United States was concerned that the IMF should play a certain role and require a certain amount of conditionality to make sure allocation of emergency resources resulted in appropriated policy responses. But I think it should be remembered that the United States—in addition to being a major shareholder in the IMF and the major player in organizing the international consortium that put together rescue packages for the countries affected—also acted as a key market and expanded its deficit during this period. This fortunately coincided with a period of US economic prosperity."

"I understand the domestic constraints the administration had when it had to come to a decision to respond to the crisis in the region, but I want to say that this response had an effect on how your friends in the region think of you."

US Global Strategy
"The United States has no coordinated policy from the top and everything changes with political realities in the Clinton administration. The United States intervened in Haiti and Kosovo, but not Rwanda or not much in East Timor, so policy varies by political eddies and currents of politics of the moment. The United States sets broad goals, but when faced with political realities these are all subject to change."

"It is slightly extreme to say that there is no such thing as a US global strategy, although strategic concerns shift over time and there are ongoing debates on post-Cold War US economic and political interests. Dealing with trouble spots as they emerge is part of the process of clarifying and articulating that vision."

US-China Relations and the Impact on Vietnam
"This conference is focused on Vietnam-US relations. Why are we talking so much about China?"

"We are neighbors of China and a small country in Asia. We are not the only ones concerned about China, but all countries of Southeast Asia are too. Throughout history one issue between our two nations is that the United States puts too much emphasis on relations between the major powers...you put too much emphasis on China in dealing with Vietnam. When you tried to seek solutions to the Vietnam War, you tried to do it through Beijing or Moscow. Why do [Vietnamese] people talk about China? This goes two ways. The United States talks too much about China when you talk about security issues in East Asia. Two-thirds of your security documents are related to China."

Building a New Bilateral Relationship
"Over the last five years, the United States and Vietnam have begun to trade; to exchange students, scholars, and government officials; and to cooperate together to find MIAs and heal the wounds of the war. US companies have invested over one billion dollars in Vietnam, and both the United States and Vietnam have ongoing and frank discussion on a range of topics. The Vietnam-US relationship is still a work in progress, but it is a happy fact that it is no longer the case that either country is of all-consuming interest to the other. The word Vietnam still resonates first and foremost in the American mind as a place where a war happened. But more and more, the elements of a normal country-to-country relationship are supplanting this legacy. I look forward to a time when Americans think of Vietnam as a vibrant culture, a key economic and political partner in East Asia, and a place that produces a very good cup of coffee."

"The issue is how can we build relations in the new period? I think we can turn past history into future cooperation to build up our relations. The MIA issue has been a good model. To turn the past into the future, other issues could be included in this category. The Agent Orange issue could be turned into a new field of cooperation between our two countries. Another issue is the Vietnamese community in the United States could be a good bridge to build up our bilateral relations in the future. There are roughly three areas of cooperation we can turn to. First, the economy is very important, and I can see that as a firm foundation for any bilateral relationship. Second, we should think about education exchange to foster future relations between our two nations. The third area is our cooperation in multilateral forums."