Southeast Asia and the Great Powers: Minnows among Whales

The course will look at Southeast Asia’s emergence from a collection of trading posts and feuding kingdoms into a vibrant region with nation-states. We will follow the countries’ struggle to achieve unity, modernize their economies and democratize their polity. The course will analyze the external environment of the post-colonial era, the rise of regional organization Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its manoeuvre to maintain independence between competing superpowers.