Sam Baron is the inaugural policy fellow at the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies. Abhinav Seetharaman is a research assistant at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
Following in the footsteps of Japan and India, the U.S. should establish a dedicated institution to head up its economic and cultural engagement with Southeast Asia. Such a move would give Washington a way to help quiet doubts about its long-term commitment to the region.