Publication

This analysis addresses the implications the 1997-98 economic crisis had on Southeast Asian security, political cohesion, armed forces modernization, and the quest for greater autonomy. The author believes that the economic crisis presented an intra-regional problem that had not been addressed cooperatively. Moreover, it has been argued that the setbacks created by the economic downturn implies the necessity of a sustained U.S. naval and air presence in the region well into the twenty-first century. This is particularly important for the maintenance of a Southeast Asian balance of power vis-à-vis China.