1st Edition

Southeast Asia And The Enemy Beyond Asean Perceptions Of External Threats

By Robert O. Tilman Copyright 1987

    This book explores elite perceptions of the external threats facing the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), drawing on Dr. Tilman's interviews with senior political, military, and intellectual leaders in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. He supplements his interviews with an examination of their writings, speeches, and other public statements, which he examines in the context of the history, geography, culture, and governmental structures of each country. He addresses the fundamental questions of the extent to which these perceptions differ and why. His focus throughout is on subjective reality--the world as it is perceived by the leadership of the ASEAN nations.

    Institute of Southeast Asian Studies -- Preface -- The Tiger at the Door: Threats and Threat Perceptions -- Southeast Asia and ASEAN: The Setting and the Context -- Policy Formulation: The Policy Makers and the Policy Setting -- The USSR and Vietnam: Perceptions of the Partners and the Partnership -- China: Ally or Adversary? -- Japan: Ambivalence Toward a Partnership -- The United States: The Risks of Friendship -- Tigers at the Door and Tigers in the Kitchen: External and Internal Threats in Perspective

    Biography

    Robert O. Tilman is professor of political science at North Carolina State University and has published widely on Southeast Asia.