Southeast Asia After the Cold War: A Contemporary History

by Cheng Guan Ang

International relations in Southeast Asia after 1990 can be understood in terms of a United States dominated security order, and the regional structure created by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). But as the Cold War recedes further into the past, that order is increasingly under siege, with a new global strategic rebalancing underway. The region is forced to contemplate new risks and the emergence of new rivalries and conflicts.
            With Southeast Asia After the Cold War , Ang Cheng Guan offers a complete, analytically informed contemporary history that covers the whole region, tracing developments since 1990 and highlighting change, continuity, and the larger context in which decisions have been made.  Crucial as a tool for making sense of the dynamics of the region, this account of Southeast Asia’s international relations will also be of immediate relevance to those in the United States and elsewhere who engage with the region, with its young, dynamic population, and its strategic position at between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.

296 pages, Paperback

Published December 15, 2019

Reviews

[Jonah Lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 6/10
A decent narrative, but seems academically flawed by a near total reliance on Singapore news records for things which should be easily to acquire independently - government press statements, public speeches.
Citations are messy, and it is hard to tell where opinion, anonymous insider information, or public information starts and end.

As a narrative for beginners, this is sufficient. As a history, and moreover a regional history, this is problematic. I would have hoped for more sources from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, or Myanmar.

[Hunter Marston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ang Chen Guan provides a terrific overview of ASEAN's history from 1990 to 2020, noting some of the institution's assets and advantages as well as its structural weaknesses and failings. I only had two real complaints with the work: First, he cites almost exclusively Singapore news sources (Straits Times). This isn't to say that Singaporean news isn't quality; rather, it just begs the question why he leaves out external perspectives. Relatedly, he draws on discredited analyst Mark Valencia for a lot of the references to South China Sea developments. Valencia is widely regarded as a Chinese Communist Party stooge and not as an objective analyst. Second, Ang Chen Guan's characterization of individual SE Asian states' "soft-balancing" and "hedging" behavior exposes him to some critique from more rigorous IR theorists, who would say he blurs the definitional boundaries of those terms. Final point: I just wish he devoted more space to certain major concepts/events, such as the election of Trump, which he gives all of two pages near the end of the book. Or the above notion of hedging/balancing, which he kind of leaves hanging as a segue to nothing. Ultimately, these are only necessities of a short book. The book is quite well done overall and a must-read for SE Asia analysts of geopolitics.

[Jason Friedlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally enjoyed this and learned a whole lot, although it was often pretty dry. Like the other reviewer here, I was also wary about just how much of the sourcing in the book came from Straits Times and other Singaporean perspectives. It didn’t necessarily feel biased because of this, but the predominance of one point of view was quite obvious, as Singaporean experts also seemed to be disproportionately referenced.

Nevertheless it was interesting and worth a read. It doesn’t feel as ambitious as his previous book on the Cold War period itself, but it felt like a useful addendum to that story. Perhaps they could have just been condensed into one long book instead of two.