Sovereignty: Asians are Wary of Pushy Outsiders

As Asia ponders its response to an eventual military strike on Iraq led by the United States, two key European powers, France and Germany, have indicated their strong reluctance to be dragged into war. In a much debated article in the American conservative journal Policy Review last year, Robert Kagan presented a contrast between US and European attitudes toward power and international relations. He argued that Americans and Europeans live in very different worlds and represent two increasingly divergent worldviews and strategic cultures.