The Pivot in Southeast Asia

Balancing Interests and Values

January 8, 2015

Report

Overview

Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Senior Fellow Joshua Kurlantzick analyzes the effects of the Obama administration's pivot on Southeast Asia and argues that the United States should refocus its Southeast Asia policy in two ways: prioritize the countries of peninsular Southeast Asia and restore the emphasis on democracy and human rights in the region.

Joshua Kurlantzick
Joshua Kurlantzick

Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia

The U.S. rebalance to Asia involves building relations with countries in mainland Southeast Asia once shunned by Washington because of their autocratic governments, and reviving close U.S. links to Thailand and Malaysia. The Obama administration has also upgraded defense partnerships throughout the region, followed through on promises to send high-level officials to Southeast Asian regional meetings, and increased military-to-military cooperation.

More on:

Southeast Asia

Democracy

Diplomacy and International Institutions

Kurlantzick contends that the White House has focused too much on the countries of mainland Southeast Asia, at the expense of attention to the countries of peninsular Southeast Asia—Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore—that are of greater value strategically and economically. Second, increased U.S. ties with mainland Southeast Asia have facilitated political regression in the region by empowering brutal militaries, condoning authoritarian regimes, and alien­ating young Southeast Asian democrats. A shift in Southeast Asia policy would allow the United States to better align Asia policy with democratic values and maximize the strategic benefits of U.S. interest in the region.

More on:

Southeast Asia

Democracy

Diplomacy and International Institutions

Top Stories on CFR

United States

Each Friday, I look at what the presidential contenders are saying about foreign policy. This Week: Joe Biden doesn’t want one of America’s closest allies to buy a once iconic American company.

Immigration and Migration

Dara Lind, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the record surge in migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. southern border.

Center for Preventive Action

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey anticipates that this year, 2024, the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?