The international relations of Southeast Asia in the 1950s and 1960s were deeply influenced by a complex interaction between three fundamental forces: nationalism, the process of the decolonization and the advent of the Cold War . The main outcome of this was the achievement of only limited national and regional autonomy by the Southeast Asian states. Nationalism had spurred a search for self-reliance and autonomy. However the weakness of the nation-state, and intraregional divisions caused by both
Malaysian foreign minister Ismail Abdul Rahman said at that time: ‘we have to come to a profound shared realization that we will not be able to survive as independent nations for long…, unless we think and act at the same time as residents of Southeast Asia’ . At perilous times when the nation-states were pressurized into joining either one of the two major blocs, Southeast Asian countries decided not to side with any superpowers of the Cold War, rather, they banded together to build, with their own hands
During ASEAN Summit in Singapore in 1992, ASEAN members agreed to enhance the liberalization of regional trade through AFTA. It is the earliest major regional trade agreement in East Asia and has successfully reduced regional tariffs and non-tariff barriers. It also promotes FDI but this area is mainly dealt with through the ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) which was established in 1998. The main instrument of AFTA is tariff liberalization through Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT). Indira M
Questions/Main ideas/topics NOTES: How was the classical civilization India? The Framework for Indian History: Geography and a Formative Period How has India’s geography and early historical experience shaped its civilization? What is India’s climate like? Formative period: Vedic and Epic Ages Aryans (Indo-European) How did the Aryans impact India? What are the levels in the Indian Caste System and how does it affect India? How has polytheism affected India and