The Formation And Termination Of The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

At the end of the Second World War,the bipolar structure led by the United States and the Soviet Union was officially formed,which opened the prelude to the Cold War.Southeast Asia has also become an important battlefield for the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.Due to the important political and economic status of Southeast Asia and its strategic position,the importance of the Southeast Asian to the national security of the United States has gradually increased.In 1954,under the advocacy of the United States,the "Southeast Asia Collective Defence Treaty" was signed in Manila,the capital of the Philippines,and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization was established the following year.The establishment of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization is the first attempt to establish a multilateral alliance in the Asian and creatively introduces the collective defense mechanism.In the 1950s and 1960s,the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization played an important role in maintaining the stability and security of the Southeast Asia and keeping the stability of the regime in Southeast Asian countries.From the very beginning of its establishment,the United States clearly stated that the establishment of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization was aimed at fighting communist forces in Southeast Asia.In the 1970s,when the United States established diplomatic relations with China,the United States and the Soviet Union relations relaxed,and the international situation changed dramatically.The communist threat is no longer the primary challenge affecting the situation in Southeast Asia.However,the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization did not change correspondingly the objectives of the alliance.Instead,it adhered to the Cold War mentality.Eventually the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization could not meet the needs of all member states and eventually collapsed in 1977Alliance Theory is an enduring topic in International Relations.This paper analyzes the formation,prosperity,decline and eventual termination of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization based on Alliance Theory.It is believed that the existence of common interests,national power,and the existence of collective identities affects the formation and termination of the alliance.In the historical process of the formation,development,and disintegration of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization,due to the existence of common interests,the countries are encouraged to establish the Southeast Asia Treaty Organizations.From the beginning to the end,the United States is the most powerful country in the alliance.Therefore,the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization can be said to have been constructed in accordance with the United States'vision.It has reached an agreement between member states in fighting communism and maintaining the government stability of Southeast Asian countries.However,with the development of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization,the United States gradually discovered that this alliance could not fully meet its own demand.In dealing with Southeast Asian affairs,the United States still used bilateral alliances instead of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.the multilateral alliance.Even though,the United States is the most powerful country in the alliance,but the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization cannot act in accordance with the will of the United States.Especially under the framework of unanimous vote.when Southeast Asia faces external interference,the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization cannot take any military action at all.The importance of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization to the United States has gradually declined.With the relief of the Cold War situation,communism was no longer an important "threat" for the Southeast Asian countries,which meant common national interests no longer exist.The common interest of defense against communism disappeared,and the basis for the existence of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization vanished.This eventually led to the disintegration of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization.This article is divided into five chapters.The first chapter elaborates the theoretical viewpoints of various theory schools about the "alliance" and the factors that affect the formation,maintenance and termination of the alliance.The second chapter describes the historical background and forming process of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in 1954,and explains the reason why the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization would be formed during this period using the Alliance Theory.The third chapter uses Malaya as a case to illustrate the fact that due to the strong sentiments of the people in Malaya and the overlapping of functions between the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization and the AMDA,and the fact that the "threat" of communism is not serious in Malaya,etc,all these reasons resulted in Malaya eventually choosing not to join the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization.The typical case of Malaya was used to analyze why the other Southeast Asian countries except the Philippines and Thailand did not choose to join the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.Chapter 4 argues the inaction of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in the crisis of Laos,which triggered Thailand's doubts about the effectiveness of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization,which led to the restructuring of the alliance in the 1960s.Thailand has achieved its own security needs through the signing of the "Rusk-Thanat communique"with the United States.The United States has also gained the power to act freely in Southeast Asia.The first crisis of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization has passed smoothly.This revision of the alliance,persuaded Thailand not to withdraw from the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization,temporarily,but from the point view of the entire development history of the alliance,it intensified the mistrust of other allies over the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization,and the internal cracks in the alliance deepened.The fifth chapter analyzes many problems existing in the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization and changes in the international situation in the 1970s,which eventually led to the final disintegration of the alliance in 1977.Through the demonstration of the process of the rise and fall of the only multilateral alliance established in Asia,we can provide a reference for reality:Can we establish a multilateral alliance in Southeast Asia in the new era?...