16 August 2005
MN07 | Betwixt and Between: Southeast Asian Strategic Relations with the U.S. and China
RSIS Monograph No. 7
This short volume compares key Southeast Asian states’ approaches to China and the United States in regional security. The states in the region are sometimes portrayed as having a unified stance: they are eager to develop closer political and economic relations with China, while maintaining a preference for strong U.S. military and strategic involvement, as a hedge against the possible failure of engagement with China. But there is in fact a range of views and expectations on this issue. Within the new context of counter-terrorism, there are rising worries about the implications of a trend towards unilateralism in American foreign policy. At the same time, China has adopted a more assertive Southeast Asian policy with a decade of successful diplomacy and deepening economic links. These trends present complications and opportunities for Southeast Asian countries, creating important emerging differences in their regional security strategies.
RSIS Monograph No. 7
This short volume compares key Southeast Asian states’ approaches to China and the United States in regional security. The states in the region are sometimes portrayed as having a unified stance: they are eager to develop closer political and economic relations with China, while maintaining a preference for strong U.S. military and strategic involvement, as a hedge against the possible failure of engagement with China. But there is in fact a range of views and expectations on this issue. Within the new context of counter-terrorism, there are rising worries about the implications of a trend towards unilateralism in American foreign policy. At the same time, China has adopted a more assertive Southeast Asian policy with a decade of successful diplomacy and deepening economic links. These trends present complications and opportunities for Southeast Asian countries, creating important emerging differences in their regional security strategies.
