Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: ASEAN: Conception and Evolution
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: ASEAN: The Way Ahead
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: New Challenges for ASEAN
- SECTION I ASEAN: THE LONG VIEW
- Section Introduction by
- 1 Southeast Asia and Foreign Empires
- 2 The Evolving Nature of ASEAN's Economic Cooperation: Original Vision and Current Practice
- 3 The Evolving Nature of ASEAN's Economic Cooperation: Original Vision and Current Practice
- 4 From Political/Security Concerns to Regional Economic Integration
- SECTION II COUNTRY ANALYSES
- SECTION III COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF THE REGION
- Southeast Asian Societies
- The Southeast Asian Economy
- Southeast Asian Politics
- SECTION IV INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
- SECTION V INSTITUTIONS OF ASEAN
- SECTION VI ASSESSING ASEAN'S INTERNAL POLICIES
- ASEAN Political Security Community
- ASEAN Economic Community
- ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
- SECTION VII ASSESSING ASEAN'S EXTERNAL INITIATIVES
- ASEAN Processes
- ASEAN's Major Power Relations
- SECTION VIII SOUTHEAST ASIA: PERIPHERAL NO MORE
- Bibliography
- The Contributors
- The Compilers
1 - Southeast Asia and Foreign Empires
from SECTION I - ASEAN: THE LONG VIEW
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 June 2017
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: ASEAN: Conception and Evolution
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: ASEAN: The Way Ahead
- Forewords to the First and Second ASEAN Reader: New Challenges for ASEAN
- SECTION I ASEAN: THE LONG VIEW
- Section Introduction by
- 1 Southeast Asia and Foreign Empires
- 2 The Evolving Nature of ASEAN's Economic Cooperation: Original Vision and Current Practice
- 3 The Evolving Nature of ASEAN's Economic Cooperation: Original Vision and Current Practice
- 4 From Political/Security Concerns to Regional Economic Integration
- SECTION II COUNTRY ANALYSES
- SECTION III COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF THE REGION
- Southeast Asian Societies
- The Southeast Asian Economy
- Southeast Asian Politics
- SECTION IV INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
- SECTION V INSTITUTIONS OF ASEAN
- SECTION VI ASSESSING ASEAN'S INTERNAL POLICIES
- ASEAN Political Security Community
- ASEAN Economic Community
- ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
- SECTION VII ASSESSING ASEAN'S EXTERNAL INITIATIVES
- ASEAN Processes
- ASEAN's Major Power Relations
- SECTION VIII SOUTHEAST ASIA: PERIPHERAL NO MORE
- Bibliography
- The Contributors
- The Compilers
Summary
Ooi Kee Beng: May I suggest that we continue discussing Southeast Asia as a concept?
Wang Gungwu: As I mentioned earlier, the term really came out of World War II, from the Mountbatten Command in Colombo, which was called the South East Asia Command. The term stuck, and it did so because of the advent of decolonization. The British and the Americans found it useful, and I think the French and Dutch followed thereafter. Decolonization made them think of the region's future, which they feared would be similar to what had become of the Balkans — fragmented, and in effect a power vacuum. European experiences were transposed on to the region, and the notion was that, where there is fragmentation, big powers would intervene. So a quick look around showed an independent but fragile India on one side, and on the other, Communist China, one of the five powers in the United Nations Security Council.
The strategic planners saw a potential political vacuum, and to get down to work they needed a coordinated bigger picture. Identifying Southeast Asia as one region helped them visualize the future. This didn't happen immediately, by the way. The Americans took some time to accept it because they thought in terms of East Asia, or the Western Pacific. They never looked at South Asia much, the way the British and the French did. On their side, Europeans saw India and they saw China; and they saw the region in between as a residue. So the French used the term “Indochine”, which is very interesting because it showed that the French had understood the area to be a bit of China and a bit of India. For Western powers that had been moving eastwards, this area would have indeed been orientated through references to India and China.
OKB: In the early days, the British were denoting the region as “Farther India”.
WGW: Farther India, yes. They were thinking in terms of the projection of British power out of India, an extension into the Malay Peninsula and into Burma. Burma was actually managed as a province of India, a tail end of India; something the Burmese have never forgiven them for. So their view was always India-centred. The Americans however were concerned with the Philippines and Japan, and tended strategically to be China-centred.
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- The 3rd ASEAN Reader , pp. 5 - 8Publisher: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak InstitutePrint publication year: 2015