ABSTRACT
On November 26, 1992, the United States government turned over Clark Air Base to the Philippines as a result of the Philippine Senate's decision not to ratify the Philippine-American Cooperation Treaty of 1991. In the mid-1990s, the Philippines hoped that the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) would render anachronistic the country's traditional pursuit of its mutual security interests with Washington and its reliance on America's military capabilities and balancing role in East Asia. From Washington's point of view, US security relations with the Philippines served a very important objective during the Cold War to maintain the US forward position against China, and possibly the Soviet Union, and to enable American forces to operate in this part of the world. Initially, the Philippines shared this view. The form of bilateralism adopted by the Philippines is far different from the type that emerged during the Cold War. Its goal is limited to preventing Southeast Asia from becoming a haven for international terrorist organizations.
