426 



The rationale for a regional alliance is described by Bernard K. 

 Gordon, Southeast Asia Project Chairman, Research Analysis Cor- 

 poration, in these terms : 



There is today in East Asia a convergence of factors highly favorable to both 

 the immediate objectives and long-term interests of the United States. Precisely 

 at a time when Americans are most anxious to reduce their unilateral role in 

 East Asian affairs, nations like Japan and Australia have begun to achieve the 

 economic output, and nations like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines have 

 Degun to adopt the political outlook, that for the first time makes the concept 

 of burden-sharing applicable in Asia. . . . There is an increasingly suitable poli- 

 tical environment for regional cooperation in Asia, especially in Southeast Asia 

 where the need is greatest. 



Accordingly, he proposed a "posture of declining direct American 

 involvement in the defense and security of Southeast Asia, coupled 

 with an increase in U.S. support to the Association of Southeast 

 Asian Nations" (ASEAN). 94 



The concept of regional alliances to share among nations the re- 

 sponsibilities of mutual defense presents unusually thorny problems 

 of conflicting national interest, as has been demonstrated on several 

 occasions with respect to the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance. "When 

 in addition — as in Southeast Asia — many of the countries concerned 

 have a long history of conflict and aggression, the problem of mutual 

 defense is compounded. 



Another question has to do with the size of the region to be organ- 

 ized for mutual defense. Manifestly, the more countries encompassed 

 by an alliance, the larger the resource base that can be tapped. Con- 

 versely, the more different sovereignties embraced in the system, the 

 smaller the base of agreement in shared national interests. The pros- 

 pect of the admission of Communist China to ECAFE, for example, 

 poses an interesting problem for that regional grouping of states. It 

 is a widely held view 95 that the posture of Communist China was 

 largely responsible for the ASEAN alliance whose five members 

 (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore) are all 

 also members of ECAFE. 



Another problem concerns the changing governmental structure of 

 individual members, leading to instability of alliances. For example, 

 although the change that converted the kingdom of Cambodia into 

 the Khmer Republic did not interrupt the continuity of that coun- 

 try's participation in the Mekong Project, it brought a notable change 

 in diplomatic relations with neighboring states. Conceivably, at some 

 future, time. North and South Vietnam might find ways of" cooperat- 

 ing in regional economic projects, but a mutual defense alliance seems 

 less likely, even with a change in leadership. 



An interesting question is posed by the presence of Russia. China, 

 and India in the Asian power system. On this subject. George Thomp- 

 son, formerly Director of the Political Study Centre. Singapore, has 

 written: 



Russia, too, is inextricably involved as China becomes the focus of the prob- 

 lem of the Asian Balance of Power, for the U.S.S.R. owns more Asian real estate 

 than any purely Asian power and depends Increasingly on Asian seas for com- 

 munication between the parts of its own territory, for trading its surplus, for 



w Gordon, Toward Ditengagement, p. Ifi2. 



96 Sop. for example, Gordon, Toward Disengagement, p. nin. 



