Promoting U.S. National Security Interests in Southeast Asia

Abstract

The United States has a variety of important national interests in Southeast Asia, the area comprising Indochina Burma, Thailand, Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) and the insular republics of Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, and Indonesia. None of these regional interests is critical to the security of the United States. Nevertheless, given the proximity of this region to China and Japan, and given its importance to the American economy, our interests in the area demand increased attention from the policy makers charged with safeguarding our national security. From a global strategic point of view it is in the United States' long-term interest to promote an expanding community of prosperous Southeast Asian nations that is * growing economically and open to free trade and investment, * politically stable, * at peace within the region and able to protect its territory from a regional hegemon and * community to the cooperative solution of global problems, Such a community could strike a regional balance of power with China and Japan and help the United States project offensive military power in the region in response to a threat.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 27, 1998
Accession Number
ADA441975

Entities

People

  • Carol Van Voorst
  • Jock Conly
  • Kim Welliver

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Asia
  • Cambodia
  • Commerce
  • Economic Development
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Local Governments
  • Malaysia
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Security
  • South Asia
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Strategic Security Studies