Syria has been the focal point of campus debate over the last week, but forgetting about the rest of Asia would be a serious miscalculation.
In November 2011, Hillary Clinton wrote an article in which she argued that engaging with Asia would be “one of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next decade.”
We know what Hillary thinks, but why should you, a UNC student, look beyond the campus uproar of debates, panels and protests on Syria and Israel to the greater Asian region?
In 2012, China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and India together accounted for 25.6 percent of our foreign trade. Syria, Israel and the Palestinian territories, in contrast, together account for less than 1 percent of U.S. total trade.
If you’ve ever bought anything from Walnart, Polo Ralph Lauren (new pledges, I’m looking at you) or Student Stores, there’s a good chance that you’ve bought something from east or south Asia. But you probably haven’t bought many things made in Syria lately.
Take anything you’ve bought in the past weekend. If it was made in Asia, chances are its price is dependent on stability in Asia.
Just one example: A quarter of the world’s trade flows through the Strait of Malacca, a narrow passage that India could close if provoked by China. Asia is full of conflicts that could cause instability in the Strait of Malacca or other trade chokepoints, driving up prices.
That means you might yearn for the price tag of those $30 Nike shorts that you complained about paying too much for yesterday.
If the U.S. withdraws, such conflict in Asia becomes more and more likely. Nervous about China’s growing aggression and doubting continued U.S. engagement, China’s neighbors have already started strengthening ties amongst themselves with the aim of counterbalancing China.
