Dialogue  July - September, 2003 , Volume 5  No. 1

Southeast Asia: A Region in the Spotlight
A. Lakshmana Chetty
Guest Editor

Southeast Asia – lying between the two cultural worlds, namely, India and China, and the two great Oceans, viz., the Indian and the Pacific Oceans – encompasses Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and East Timor. Together these countries cover a total land area of 4.5 million square kilometres with a population of more than 510 million in 2001. The region, throughout history, was known by different names. Since its early history was marked by Indian and Chinese influences, the European and Indian historians referred to it as “Greater India” or “Farther India”, while the Chinese called it “Nanyang” or the “Southern Seas”.

With the solitary exception of land-locked Laos, all other countries of Southeast Asia face upon the sea. The sea has played a significant role in shaping the destinies of the Southeast Asian region and this is testified by the emergence of maritime empires, the spread of Indian cultural influence, the advent of Islam and the impact of colonial powers. The overwhelming feature of the human environment of this region is its diversity. Interestingly, the peoples of Southeast Asia follow almost all the important religions of the world – Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism and Confucianism.

Southeast Asia is a “rich storehouse of resources for the world.” The region accounts for 95 per cent of the world’s output of abaca, 85 per cent of its natural rubber, 83 per cent of its palm oil and 67 per cent of its tin and copper besides substantial sources of sugar, coffee, timber and various tropical fruits. It is clear, therefore, that the region has rich potentials for economic development. Economically, Southeast Asian region enjoys a higher standard of living than the two Asian giants in their immediate neighbourhood, India and China.

The future of Southeast Asia is being shaped not only by dynamic internal forces, but also by external forces striving to gain a dominant position in this strategic area of resource-rich nations. One of the fascinating aspects of Southeast Asian history has been the fruitful cultural and commercial interaction between India and the Southeast Asian countries down the corridors of time. As Reginald Le May has pointed out, the mountainous ranges running through the middle of Vietnam marked the dividing line between Indian and Chinese spheres of cultural influences. While the spread of Chinese cultural influence involved political conquest and domination, the spread of Indian culture on the contrary took place through peaceful means and was welcomed by rulers and the ruled alike in Southeast Asia.

The friendly fruitful interaction between India and Southeast Asia not only got severed but also underwent a fundamental change in the era of European domination. India was the base from which most of the European powers extended their power and domination over Southeast Asia. Thus all but one of the Southeast Asian countries came under the domination of the western colonial powers. The Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards first, and then the Americans, Indonesia by the Dutch, Malaysia, Singapore Brunei and Myanmar by the British, and Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam by the French. Even Thailand which maintained its independence through out its history, was obliged to accept colonial dictates. A tragic corollary of the era of colonialism was that “each country in the region turned its back on its neighbours and looked across the seas to the metropolis of the ruling power.”

The Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia during the World War II proved a bane as well as a boon. While the Japanese excesses left bitter memories, the Japanese occupation “destroyed” the myth of Western supremacy and triggered “a new spirit of political awareness and a strong desire for independence” which in turn led to the decolonization of the region. The newly independent Southeast Asian countries, keeping themselves away from great power rivalries, initiated moves to promote regional cooperation the culmination of which was the formation of ASEAN. Started as a five member organization in 1967 ASEAN in due course came to represent the entire Southeast Asian region. As a strategic analyst has remarked “insular and peninsular Southeast Asia and all of mainland Southeast Asia are now joined in one association,” and “the region is no longer divided between ASEAN and non-ASEAN, between mainland and maritime Southeast Asia.” ASEAN thus is synonymous with Southeast Asia. Though remained reluctant initially, India joined the ASEAN process in 1992 and in the next ten years New Delhi leap frogged to secure for itself the covetous summit level dialogue with ASEAN. India and ASEAN consult and cooperate closely and routinely on a wide range of multilateral issues. Close contacts have been developed and maintained by Ministers and officials of both sides. India and ASEAN have been consciously focusing on functional cooperation across several promising areas which among others include IT software, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and tourism.

ASEAN’s record of achievements since its inception three-and-a-half decades ago has been so impressive that it is hailed as “an exemplar of enlightened regionalism.” ASEAN evolved effective mechanisms for “consultation and dialogue” with outside powers having stakes in the region for the pacific settlement of political and security issues. Other major accomplishments of the ten nations of Southeast Asia include proclamation of the region nuclear-weapons-free, establishment of ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), initiatives to conclude Free Trade Area (FTA) agreements with various countries including India, China, Japan, South Korea, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. Southeast Asian nations are not only presented with opportunities but also confronted with challenges such as row over Spratly islands, stand off in the Taiwan Straits, nuclear non-proliferation in Northeast Asia and South Asia, bilateral crises within the Southeast Asian community and the growing menace of terrorism. Yet the Southeast Asian countries, as a top-notch ASEAN diplomat and quondam Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas has noted, imbued with the spirit of common commitment to regional peace and stability, have been forging ahead toward their goals of “economic integration, lasting stability and security” and achievement of a Southeast Asian community of “technologically competent, cohesive and caring societies.”