Required Reading/References:
“Entrenchment of a Bipolar Foreign Policy,” The United States Department of State, Office of the Historian
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1953-1960
and “Southeast Asian Treaty Organization 1954”
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1953-1960/seato
and “The Taiwan Straits Crisis 1953-1960” https://history.state.gov/milestones/1953-1960/taiwan-strait-crises
and “History: The Founding of ASEAN”
https://www.asean.org/asean/about-asean/history
and “ASEAN Conception and Evolution,” by Thanat Khoman, in the ASEAN Reader, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, 1992
https://asean.org/?static_post=asean-conception-and-evolution-by-thanat-khoman
OVERVIEW:
With the end of the Second World War, countries, to a significant extent, gravitated to either the Eastern bloc or the Western bloc. The world was largely divided between two societies where the majority of the population was of European stock, the United States and Russia. This period in history saw the rise and fall of these powers. What follows examines the impact of the War of Vietnam which led to the collapse of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization and the emergence of a more neutral and independent ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
QUESTIONS:
1. What the collapse of SEATO a good thing or a bad thing for East Asia? Explain your rationale for your position. – 1 page + references
2. Write a 1 page summary of all the readings/references. – 1 page + references