Southeast Asia - U.S. Regional Interests

The purpose of this paper is to discuss Southeast Asia, U.S. interests, potential threats, and possible challenges/opportunities by which the United States could further its interests in the region. Ten nations make up this region: Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. China as an emerging power with interests in the area is also analyzed, even though China is not considered a Southeast Asian nation. The premise is that it is in the United States' vital interests to promote regional stability in the region. Regional stability is best achieved by intertwining economic prosperity and commercial interdependence between the nations of Southeast Asia, the United States, and the international community. Further, it is not considered in the United States' best interests to link commercial and economic engagement to either the specific form of government or human rights issues. It is not suggested that the United States can or should disregard atrocities such as genocide, ethnic cleansing, or other flagrant human rights violations. But the authors would recommend a tempered and balanced approach in evaluating and persuading various nations in the region how to handle internal domestic issues. The United States should continue a policy of constructive engagement using diplomatic, economic, and military instruments of national power to foster democratic principles based on pluralism as well as universal standards of conduct regarding basic human rights. It should be noted that none of the current governments of these 10 nations have found the balance in their democracies that is common in their western counterparts. The governments in these countries are highly autocratic or ethnic-dominated. As a result, successions of power will continue to provide potential periods of instability into the foreseeable future.