Publication

This paper discusses the implications of the 2006 East Asian Summit to which the US was not invited. While the US traditionally played a central role in setting the agenda for multilateral cooperation through Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the East Asian Summit could lead to a new regional forum led by China that would exclude the US and increasingly displace APEC as the leading multilateral forum. Although there are a number of obstacles to the realization of an East Asian bloc that would limit American influence in the region, some observers are of the opinion that the United States should take further steps to reinforce its own regional role.