If President Clinton plans to build a bridge to the 21st century, then he should recognize that a major section of that bridge must span the Pacific Ocean. Many have called the coming century "the Asia/Pacific Century" and for good reason. That part of our world is home to a significant portion of the human race as well as the locale of some of the most dynamic economies in history. Beyond that, their citizens harbor a growing desire for more political and economic freedom for themselves and their children.
Social commentators have faulted the foreign policy initiatives of the Clinton administration because it has focused far too little on this part of the world relative to the attention paid to nations elsewhere. This focus must change. The state of Hawaii has and can continue to play a significant role in building that bridge to the future. For example, located in Manoa Valley is the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange between East and West, better known as the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii.
This past fiscal year the Clinton administration, through its Office of Management and Budget, drastically cut the center's budget. Fortunately, for the future of the center, Congress added more funds. This shortsighted action by OMB was truly a case of saving mere pennies on a federally funded project which has had a significant, yet underpublicized, effect on our nation's relations with the countries of Asia and the Pacific.
Senator Inouye of Hawaii has argued that the center is a "cost-effective institution." That is an understatement. It is a priceless institution. It has changed the way many persons think about each other and they have, in turn, changed the way their nations react to America and to each other.
I cannot claim to be an unbiased observer. I was one of the first American student participants at the center back in 1962. At that time there were, in addition to scores of scholars in residence, 600 scholarship students, 400 from Asia and the Pacific and 200 from the United States. I was elected student body president because I fervently believed in the expressed goals of the center, goals shared by Asian and American students alike, " . . . to promote better relations and understanding between the United States and the nations of Asia and the Pacific through cooperative study, training and research."
Prior to my center experience, I had served our government in Korea and Thailand. After receiving my master's degree, I also served in Vietnam and Micronesia. Everywhere I went I met former participants who had returned home and had assumed positions of leadership. Each one retained strong, friendly feelings toward America, our people and our institutions.
The bottom line is that the East-West Center is a national institution serving a national purpose. It deserves greater respect from the Clinton administration and from Congress. The center's impact on East-West relations may be subtle and low key, but it is deep rooted and long lasting. The bridge to the 21st century will be more enduring should its foundation be bolstered by such institutions of mutual understanding as the East-West Center. The center is a significant part of that window and therefore desperately needs and deserves everyone's support, including that of the president.
James V. Hall, a writer for the City and County of Honolulu, has recently authored a Vietnam War novel titled "To Win the Hearts." The opinions expressed in View Point columns are the authors' and are not necessarily shared by the Star-Bulletin.