ABSTRACT
The great powers are engaged in Asia. By “great powers,” this study refers to states that possess real and potential cultural, diplomatic, economic, military, and political resources to exert their influence on a regional and global scale. Japan and the United States are established great powers that have helped mold the postwar security architecture in Asia. China and India are recognized as powers that are on the ascent.1 All are, in varying degrees, important players in Asian security. Where active strategic maneuvering among these states has occurred or may occur in the near future is in Southeast Asia. The subregion’s strategic location lmarkets, and natural resources have made it a site for competition among the great powers for influence. Yet, if competition among the powers abounds in Southeast Asia, so do the prospects for cooperation. Globalization and increased economic interdependence have linked states, economics, and cultures as never before. These create potentially fruitful opportunities and profitable incentives for the great powers and Southeast Asia to collaborate in addressing the security concerns that confront them. What follows is an attempt to analyze the current state of relations between the great
powers and Southeast Asia. The study is divided into four sections. First, it looks at the interests of the great powers and Southeast Asia. The second section examines the dynamics and outcomes of great power and Southeast Asian diplomacy. The third section analyzes the economic dimension of the relationship. The fourth and final section investigates the soft power dimension of the great powers’ strategies toward the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the implications on Southeast Asian security.
