From conflict to cooperation in southeast Asia, 1961--1967: The disputes arising out of the creation of Malaysia and the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

This dissertation analyzes regional conflict and cooperation in Southeast Asia. It argues that ASEAN's establishment was a product of the process of resolving the conflicts arising out of the creation of Malaysia. In the early 1960s, the decision to unite Singapore and the Borneo territories of Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak with the Federation of Malaya triggered a series of regional conflicts. The Philippines broke off diplomatic relations with Malaysia. Rebels in Brunei launched an armed rebellion. And Indonesia launched a low-level war against Malaysia known as konfrontasi. Despite a hostile external environment, irreconcilable differences between Malayan and Singaporean leaders over how to manage ethnic politics led to Singapore's separation from Malaysia. This dissertation argues that these conflicts were pivotal events in Southeast Asian history because the intense diplomacy required to resolve them created a new communications network among Southeast Asian leaders who had previously been isolated from one another. The desire to institutionalize that communication network and promulgate a regional code of conduct to prevent future conflicts led to ASEAN's creation.