Great Power Politics in Southeast Asia: The Cold War and The Post-Cold War Settings

Over the decades, Southeast Asian subsystem has gradually emerged as a significant strategic place for the major players of the contemporary international relations. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the entire region had constantly been influenced by the great power politics played mainly by the then three major world powers: United States, former Soviet Union (now Russia) and China. However, in the post-Cold War period, these powers, including Japan and India, are applying different strategic and tactical policies to pursue relative gain instead of zero-sum or absolute gain. On the other hand, the Southeast Asian countries are following the great power strategies to serve national and regional interests.