Small States and Hegemonic Competition in Southeast Asia Pursuing Autonomy, Security and Development amid Great Power P

Chih-Mao Tang, "Small States and Hegemonic Competition in Southeast Asia: Pursuing Autonomy, Security and Development amid Great Power P"
English | ISBN: 0367415224 | 2019 | 134 pages | EPUB | 1240 KB
In the last few decades, Southeast Asia has become generally more peaceful and more prosperous, with progress in economic development, regional cooperation and integration. ASEAN in particular plays a leading role within and beyond the region in promoting multilateral cooperation in both security and economic matters. All these developments progress amid increasing hegemonic competition between the US and China for regional dominance in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the realist viewpoint of international politics, Southeast Asian states can do nothing but choose sides at the expense of international political autonomy in order to maintain their national interests. Tang argues, however, that in fact there exists an opportunity for Southeast Asian states to simultaneously reinforce their military security, economic development and international political autonomy in face of the US-China hegemonic competition.