United States Vice-President Al Gore's remarks on democracy in Kuala Lumpur a week ago, and the reaction they provoked, have underlined the dangers of taking a simplistic approach to the political development of East Asia. Once the sound and fury from Malaysia has died down, a broader question will remain about the way the US sees the region - and vice-versa.
The immediate point is that, in expressing irreproachable support for democratisation in general, the vice-president's specific praise for 'brave' Malaysians may end up being counter-productive for those he praised by making it easier for the government in Kuala Lumpur to link them with what one minister branded as 'a foreign conspiracy to interfere in Malaysia's domestic affairs'.
But beyond that, Mr Gore's lumping together of People's Power, the Doi Moi campaign in Vietnam and the reformasi movement in Indonesia raises a distinct worry about how the most powerful country in the world sees East Asia.
Not long ago, the region was portrayed as a single entity enjoying miraculous growth and set to become the motor of the world economy in the 21st century. Now it seems a similar broad-brush approach is being applied to political development. This may be fine for the electorate in the US when the sound bite of Mr Gore standing up for democracy in front of a man who dared to jail his main opponent plays in his campaign commercials during the coming presidential race.
But, as Mr Gore went home, he left a region that is far more complex than any sound bite could contain. For a start, the reaction to his words showed up some of that complexity.
The anger from the Malaysian authorities was only to be expected. However, as reports from Kuala Lumpur have made clear, people who wish there were a realistic alternative to Dr Mahathir were put out, too. Philippine President Joseph Estrada may have loved the speech, but some regional publications which are firmly pro-democracy were less enthusiastic.