Southeast Asia Views the United States

Perceptions, Policies, and Prospects

Edited by Ann Marie Murphy

This book is a comprehensive study of Southeast Asian views of their respective countries’ foreign policies towards the United States. The Southeast Asian contributors are all individuals who bridge both academia and foreign policy circles in their countries, in Southeast Asia, the Indo-Pacific, more broadly, and globally.

There is a dearth of theoretically informed, empirically rich literature on the foreign policies of Southeast Asian states. This volume, with eight chapters written by some of Southeast Asia’s leading analysts, is therefore important, timely, and fills a large gap in the literature.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 420 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-5381-9196-5 • Hardback • February 2025 • $105.00 • (£81.00)

978-1-5381-9197-2 • Paperback • February 2025 • $40.00 • (£30.00)

978-1-5381-9198-9 • eBook • February 2025 • $38.99 • (£30.00)

Subjects: Political Science / World / Asian, History / Asia / Southeast Asia, Political Science / International Relations / General

Courses: Political Science; Comparative Politics; Government & Politics; Asia, International & Area Studies; Asian Studies; Southeast Asia, Political Science; International Relations; Foreign Policy; Asian

Southeast Asia Views the United States

Perceptions, Policies, and Prospects

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

This book is a comprehensive study of Southeast Asian views of their respective countries’ foreign policies towards the United States. The Southeast Asian contributors are all individuals who bridge both academia and foreign policy circles in their countries, in Southeast Asia, the Indo-Pacific, more broadly, and globally.
There is a dearth of theoretically informed, empirically rich literature on the foreign policies of Southeast Asian states. This volume, with eight chapters written by some of Southeast Asia’s leading analysts, is therefore important, timely, and fills a large gap in the literature.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 420 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-5381-9196-5 • Hardback • February 2025 • $105.00 • (£81.00)

978-1-5381-9197-2 • Paperback • February 2025 • $40.00 • (£30.00)

978-1-5381-9198-9 • eBook • February 2025 • $38.99 • (£30.00)

Subjects: Political Science / World / Asian, History / Asia / Southeast Asia, Political Science / International Relations / General

Courses: Political Science; Comparative Politics; Government & Politics; Asia, International & Area Studies; Asian Studies; Southeast Asia, Political Science; International Relations; Foreign Policy; Asian

Author

Dr. Ann Marie Murphy is Professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations,Seton Hall University; Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute,Columbia University; and a 2019-20202 ASEAN Research Program Fulbright Scholar. Dr.Murphy's research interests include international relations and comparative politics in Southeast
Asia, U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, and governance of non-traditional security issues. She isco-author (with Amy Freedman) of Non-Traditional Security Issues in Southeast Asia: The Transnational Dimension, (2018) and co-editor (with Bridget Welsh) of Legacies of Engagement in Southeast Asia (2008). Dr. Murphy’s articles have appeared in journals such as Asian Security,Contemporary Southeast Asia, Orbis, Asia Policy, World Politics Review and PS: Political Science & Politics. Dr. Murphy is a founding partner of the New York Southeast Asia Network and is currently completing a book on the impact of democracy on Indonesian foreign policy with the generous support of the Smith Richardson Foundation. She earned her Ph.D.fromColumbia University

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introducing Southeast Asia and Regional Perceptions of the United States
Chapter 2 United States Policy Toward Southeast Asia: Policy Shifts Trigger Concerns about U.S. Commitment
Chapter 3 The Insignificant Other: Perceptual Change, Policy Divergence, and Prospects for Thai-U.S. Relations
Chapter 4 Philippine Policy Toward the United States: Dramatic Shifts in Alliance Politics
Chapter 5 Singapore’s Policy Toward the United States: Facilitating the Role of the Indispensable Power in Asia
Chapter 6 Strategic Convergence Despite Domestic Divergence in Vietnam Policy Toward the United States
Chapter 7: Last Line of Defense? Indonesia-U.S. Defense Relations and Strategic Realignments
Chapter 8 Ambivalence in Alignment: The Politics of Malaysia-U.S. Relations
Chapter 9 Cambodia and the United States: Moving Beyond Trouble Relations?
Chapter 10 Burma/Myanmar and the United States: An Eternal Balancing Act?
Chapter 11 Conclusion

Reviews

This orchestra of essays, very ably conducted by Ann Marie Murphy, helps us better understand and appreciate the complex dynamics of US-Southeast Asia relations from the perspectives of individual Southeast Asian states. It is an indispensable collection that should be read by all who have an interest in US policy in the Indo-Pacific, and how that is perceived and understood by the states in the region.

— Joseph Chinyong Liow, Nanyang Technological University

A long overdue book that offers much needed insights on Southeast Asia’s diverse and complex views of and relations with the United States.

— Jurgen Haacke, London School of Economics and Political Science

The United States' interest in Southeast Asia has largely been derivative of its larger strategic interests and now Southeast Asia is at the epicenter of the U.S.- China rivalry. Since the end of the Vietnam War Americans' knowledge about the highly diverse region has been very limited. The book Southeast Asia Views the United States: Perceptions, Policies, and Prospects, an edited collection of articles by leading Southeast Asian analysts examining their country’s perceptions of the U.S., foreign policies toward Washington, and prospects for future relations with the U.S. is very timely and can help fill the lacunae in up-to-date writings about the U.S. and Southeast Asia. The book's editor Ann Marie Murphy has provided an excellent overview of Southeast Asians' perceptions of the U.S. which shows a clear perception gap between how the U.S. sees itself and how Southeast Asians view the U.S., as well as for the chapter on the U.S. shifting policy towards the region. Ann Marie also deserves special thanks for curating this book that brings together highly illuminating articles about eight Southeast Asian countries' relations with the U.S.

— Dewi Fortuna Anwar, professor at the Research Center for Politics-Indonesian Institute of Sciences