Publication

This paper describes how small and medium-sized states in Southeast Asia have undergone significant geo-strategic changes with the end of the Cold War and the rise of China. The author describes how there has been a significant political debate about whether the Asian countries should balance against China or instead jump on the Chinese bandwagon. The paper explains that instead of adopting tactical or purely time-buying geopolitical policies, key Southeast Asian states have also tried to directly influence the shaping of the revised regional order and political hierarchy.