The United States and Southeast Asia: change and continuity in American hegemony

The intention of this chapter is to examine the impact that the US has had on Southeast Asia's historical development, both during the Cold War period when the emergent states of the region attempted to consolidate and assert their independence, and more recently, when the combined effects of economic fragility and the emergence of new strategic challenges have provided a painful reminder of just how susceptible the region remains to powerful external forces over which it has limited influence