ASEAN Resistance to Sovereignty Violation : Interests, Balancing and the Role of the Vanguard State

This book investigates the history of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) stance on external intervention in regional affairs. It asks when has ASEAN state resistance to sovereignty challenges succeeded, and when have they failed? ASEAN’s history of (non)resistance is understood in terms of a realist theoretical logic, focusing on the relationship between an ASEAN ‘vanguard state’ and selected external powers. A ‘vanguard state’ is defined as an ASEAN state that comes to the fore of the Association when it has vital interests at stake that it wishes to pursue. Whilst a state’s interests may vary, vital interests relate to state survival and the preservation of state sovereignty. Once a vanguard state has come to prominence, it will perform two major functions, which reflect an external balancing logic. The vanguard state will actively seek out an external power whose interests align with its own, and will seek to portray a united ASEAN front in support of its interests. Using case study analysis and drawing on a large amount of previously unanalysed material, this book contends that when an ASEAN vanguard state has interests that converge with those of an external power, it has an active and substantial role in resisting sovereignty violation. ASEAN RESISTANCE TO SOVEREIGNTY VIOLATION Contents Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction: ASEAN and the Vanguard State Questioning ASEAN resistance to sovereignty violation An introduction to existing ASEAN scholarship Explaining ASEAN resistance to sovereignty violation Outline of the book 1. Interests and Vanguard State Theory Constructivist theory: the power of norms and ideas Realist theory: US influence and the balance of power Critical theory: the power of social forces Contribution to the realist debate Delineating our variables Defining and measuring interest convergence Vanguard state theory: on balancing, bargaining and power Conceptualizing ASEAN Methodology 2. The Indonesian Invasion of East Timor Indonesia and the Cold War regional environment (1970–1975) Civil war in East Timor ASEAN vanguard state – external power interest convergence ASEAN institutional cohesion Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor (December 1975) Invasion repercussions: Indonesian resistance to sovereignty violation Theoretical assessment of Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor (1975) Contrasting theoretical arguments 3. The Third Indochina War The Southeast Asian regional environment (1975–1978) The Soviet and Vietnamese threat ASEAN-China relations Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia – a catalyst for convergence Emergence of the ASEAN vanguard state ASEAN vanguard state – external power interest convergence The regional environment 1980–1991 Theoretical assessment of the Third Indochina War (1978–1991) Contrasting theoretical arguments 4. The East Timor Humanitarian Crisis Indonesia in the post-Cold War regional environment Indonesia-state interest convergence in the post-Cold War period The Asian Financial Crisis (1997) – a catalyst for change Indonesia – external power interest divergence ASEAN institutional cohesion East Timor’s vote for independence Calls for external intervention in East Timor Indonesian failure to resist sovereignty violation INTERFET as a violation of Indonesian sovereignty Theoretical assessment of the East Timor crisis (1999) Contrasting theoretical arguments 5. The South China Sea Dispute Background to the maritime dispute ASEAN’S failure to secure interest convergence (1992–2012) ASEAN-US partial interest convergence (2012–2016) The arrival of Trump and Duterte – interest divergence (2016 to present) Theoretical assessment of the South China Sea dispute: interest convergence theory Contrasting theoretical arguments 6. The Future of ASEAN Sovereignty? Contending explanations for sovereignty violation in Southeast Asia Vanguard state theory Dynamics of state interaction ASEAN, intervention and the responsibility to protect References Index Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Examining how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations??? (ASEAN) has responded to external threats over the past 50 years, this book provides a compelling account of regional state actions and foreign policy in the face of potential sovereignty violation. The author draws on a large amount of previously unanalysed material, including declassified government documents and WikiLeaks cables, to examine four key cases since 1975. Taking into account state interests and the role of external powers, the author develops the ???vanguard state theory??? to explain ASEAN state responses to sovereignty violation, which, it is argued, has universal applicability and explanatory power.Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Examining how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations??? (ASEAN) has responded to external threats over the past 50 years, this book provides a compelling account of regional state actions and foreign policy in the face of potential sovereignty violation. The author draws on a large amount of previously unanalysed material, including declassified government documents and WikiLeaks cables, to examine four key cases since 1975. Taking into account state interests and the role of external powers, the author develops the ???vanguard state theory??? to explain ASEAN state responses to sovereignty violation, which, it is argued, has universal applicability and explanatory power Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, this book offers an innovative explanation of how ASEAN states respond to threats of sovereignty violation that takes account of both the role of external powers and the agency of regional states.