ABSTRACT
The central theme of this monograph is the role and relevance of the balance of power factor within inter-state regimes for regional cooperative security with special reference to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)1 and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).2 ASEAN and the ARF are normally depicted as associative forms of security arrangements that may be defined as alternatives to those characteristic of and employing the traditional concept of the balance of power. This book addresses one core question: to what extent may the balance of power, defined in political terms, play a part in such associative security arrangements and in the calculations of the participants? Hence, it judges to what extent the balance of power may become a factor in cooperative security regimes. To that end, it assesses the role of the balance of power as a disposition to promote countervailing arrangements to deny hegemony within and beyond cooperative security even if devoid of direct military content.
