THE COMPARATIVE POLITICS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA ASDP June

THE COMPARATIVE POLITICS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA ASDP – June 22, 2011, East-West Center, Honolulu HI

Today Review of what is Southeast Asia States in Early Southeast Asia Political Systems in Post-War Southeast Asia International Relations and Regional Instituitions

Physical Geography Forest and waterways. Tropical region, and this prevented land-based migration and invasion. Also the forest provides an abundance of resources for daily like, building, eating, and so on.

Common Diet Rice: Likely native to the region. Other staples including taro and other starches. Fish: Eating fish but also cooking with fish sauce and using fish and shrimp pastes in cooking Palm: Abundant and used as a substitute for sugar and also to extract oil.

Waterways waterways, temperate winds make region accessible by sea. Migration and trade occur primarily by sea and by major river ways and deltas.

What is Southeast Asia? A physical region.

Chinese Influence People from southern coast of China migrated to Southeast Asia in early times. Married and were essentially absorbed into population. Did not consider themselves “Chinese. ”

“Sini-fication” Resurgence of Chinese identity in SE Asia Rulers found it convenient to separate Chinese from indigenous population. Mass migration after the Taiping rebellion. The rise of Chinese nationalism in China itself (early 20 th century).

Role of Women in SE Asia Bilateral kinship structure. Reverse of conventional dowry. Men often live with woman’s family. Women may have autonomous trade in marketing. Step from trade to diplomacy is small. External forces (Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, chipped away at this).

Women Leaders in Southeast Asia

What is Southeast Asia? It is a human region.

Where does Southeast Asia Come From? The term emerges only in the context of World War II. It becomes a theater of war after the Japanese invasion of the region. Distinct from South Asia (India) and East Asia (China, Japan, Korea)

Why so late? It was heterogeneous in terms of culture. It was remote in terms of distance. It was imperially segmented.

Heterogeneity Major religions come through Southeast Asia including Hindu, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam. Hundreds of languages. Dozens of ethnic groups, hundreds of sub -ethnic groups.

Remote

Japan Unites many in the region. Brings SE Asia to forefront. Unites the Imperialists.

The Cold War There were major communist rebellions in almost every single country in Southeast Asia. And whereas India and China were largely “lost” and in any case too big to intervene, Southeast Asia was still contestable.

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) established in 1967. Founding members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand (later Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Cambodia). Promote regional economic growth, peace and security, and mutual assistance.

What is Southeast Asia? It is a political region.

STATE FORMATION

What is the state? “Administrative body that has a monopoly over the legitimate use of force over a given territory. ” -Max Weber

States Regimes Governments

Pre-Colonial State Formation Reid, Anthony. 1988. Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 14501680. The Land Below the Winds. Yale University Press. Maritime trade absolutist regimes.

Pre-Colonial State Formation Maritime trade in the region from the 14 th century to the 17 th century explains the consolidation of absolutist regimes during this period. Trade brought expanded wealth and dissemination of firearms which enabled states to be more centralized, coercive and bureaucratic. Colonialism was a consequence of the vibrant

Pre-Colonial State Formation Lieberman, Victor. 2003. Strange Parallels: Integration on the Mainland: Southeast Asia in Global Context, c. 8001830. Cambridge University Press. Not only Maritime. Comparisons to Eurasia.

Pre-Colonial State Formation Maritime economic and military inputs. Domestic agricultural and commercial expansion. Locally-generated movements of religious/moral reform.

State Formation Scott, Professor James C. 2009. The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia. Yale University Press. Explores why some places and some peoples did not embrace states.

State Formation Larger debates that political scientists and political sociologists have made about the rise of states and state formation. Helps to historicize Southeast Asian politics and recognize agency of Southeast Asian actors.

State Formation in the Colonial Era Colonial era is long and complex and difficult to summarize in terms of state formation. But it is an important area of study because many scholars argue that the colonial era helped to define states and how they run in the post-colonial era.

Direct vs. Indirect Rule Direct rule: Rule through colonial administrators. Indirect rule: Rule through ‘native’ administrators. Furnivall, J. S. 1956. Colonial Policy and Practice a Comparative Study of Burma and Netherlands India. New York: New York

Furnivall Direct rule tends to wipe out the “constraint of custom” and reduces societies to the “lowest common denominator of economic gain and exploitation. Indirect rules works better because it maintains some degree of autonomy and expression of the “social will. ”

Furnivall Plural society: “a medley of peoples European, Chinese, Indian and native, who do mix but do not combine. . . with different sections of the community living side by side, but separately, within the same political unit. ”

State Formation in Indonesia Sutherland, Heather. 1979. The making of a bureaucratic elite : the colonial transformation of the Javanese priyayi The Priyayi straddle Dutch and Javese realms.

State Formation in Indonesia Empowered priyayi become a highly corrupt class of administrators in the colony. Divisions between upper and less priyayi. Dutch policies at centralization, decentralization, and then recentralization.

Thai State Formation

Thai State Formation

The Philippines as a weak state. Pre-colonial? Colonial? Spanish? American?

Why pre-colonial and colonial era? Colonial legacies may persist. Problems and challenges may come from this era. It contextualizes and historicizes the region’s contemporary politics. “Continuity and Change”

Japan Unites many in the region. Brings SE Asia to forefront. Unites the Imperialists.

Independence in Southeast Asia Thailand: Philippines: Burma: Indonesia: Indochina: Malaya: Singapore: Brunei: East Timor: 1238? 1946 1948 1950 1954 1957 1965 1984 1999

POLITICAL SYSTEMS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA Professor Ehito Kimura Polisci 307 b September 30, 2008

Country Area (km 2) Population(2009) Density (/km 2) GDP USD (2009) GDP per capita (2009) Capital Brunei 5, 765 428, 000 70 10, 405, 000 $25, 386 Bandar Seri Begawan Burma 676, 578 50, 020, 000 74 34, 262, 000 $571 Naypyidaw Cambodia 181, 035 14, 805, 000 82 10, 871, 000 $768 Phnom Penh East Timor 14, 874 1, 134, 000 76 590, 000 $542 Dili Indonesia 1, 904, 569 240, 271, 522 126 539, 377, 000 $2, 329 Jakarta Laos 236, 800 6, 320, 000 27 5, 598, 000 $886 Vientiane Malaysia 329, 847 28, 318, 000 83 192, 955, 000 $8, 100 Kuala Lumpur Philippines 300, 000 91, 983, 000 307 160, 991, 000 $1, 745 Manila Singapore 710. 2 5, 076, 700 7, 023 182, 231, 000 $36, 379 Singapore Thailand 513, 120 67, 764, 000 132 312, 605, 000 $4, 643 Bangkok Vietnam 331, 210 88, 069, 000 265 93, 164, 000 $1, 068 Hanoi

Philippines Spanish/American colonialism. 1946 -Independence from US. 1965 -Election of Marcos 1972 -Martial law 1983 -Benigno Aquino assassinated. 1986 -People power revolution. Cory Aquino becomes president.

Some sources Wurfel, David. 1991. Filipino politics: Development and decay. Cornell Univ Press. Anderson, Benedict. 1988. “Cacique Democracy in the Philippines: Origins and Dreams. ” New Left Review I (160) (June): 3– 33. Hutchcroft, P. D, and J. Rocamora. 2003. “Strong demands and weak institutions: The origins and evolution of the democratic deficit in the Philippines. ” Journal of East Asian Studies 3: 259– 292.

Indonesia Dutch colonialism. 1945 -1950 -Indonesian revolution. 1950 -Independence. 1957 -‘Guided democracy’. 1965 -Coup, counter coup? “New Order” authoritarian rule by Suharto. 1997 -Asian Financial Crisis. 1998 -Fall of Suharto.

Some sources Crouch, Harold. 2010. Political reform in Indonesia after Soeharto. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing. Hadiz, V. R. 2004. “Decentralization and democracy in Indonesia: a critique of neoinstitutionalist perspectives. ” Development and Change 35 (4): 697– 718. Slater, Dan. 2004. “Indonesia’s Accountability Trap: Party Cartels and Presidential Power After Democratic Transition. ” Indonesia (78) (October): 61 -92.

Timor L’este 1972 -Portuguese colony. 1975 -Declares independence but is invaded and occupied by Indonesia. 1991 -Santa Cruz Massacre 1996 -Ramos Horta and Bishop Belo receive Nobel Peace Prize. 1998 -After fall of Suharto, President Habibie allows referendum. 1999 -Independence.

Some sources Taylor, John G. c 1991. Indonesia’s forgotten war the hidden history of East Timor. London, Atlantic Highlands, N. J. , USA, Leichhardt, NSW, Australia: Zed Books. Pluto Press Australia. Kammen, Douglas. 2001. The Trouble With Normal: The Indonesian Military, Paramilitaries, and the Final Solution to East Timor. In , ed. Benedict Anderson. Ithaca: Southeast Asia Program Publications. Robinson, G. 2009. “ If you leave us here, we will die”: how genocide was stopped in East Timor. Princeton Univ Pr.

Burma (Myanmar) Colonized by the British. 1947 -Aung San and six members of interim government are assassinated. 1948 -Burma becomes independent state. 1962 -Military coup by Ne Win. 1988 - Demonstrations and major crackdown. 1990 -NLD wins elections, results ignored. 1991 -Suu Kyii wins Nobel Peace Prize. Present: SPDC still retains power.

Some Sources Taylor, R. 1987. The State in Burma. University of Hawaii Press. Callahan, M. P. 2004. Making Enemies: war and state building in Burma. NUS Press.

Malaysia British colonial rule. 1948 -British continue rule. 1957 -British allow independence. 1963 -Decolonization of Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore. 1965 -Singapore withdraws. 1969 -Race riot. 1971 -National Economic Policy (NEP) 1981 -Mahathir becomes PM.

Some sources Andaya, Barbara Watson, and Leonard Y Andaya. 2001. A History of Malaysia. Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press. Case, W. 1993. “Semi-democracy in Malaysia: withstanding the pressures for regime change. ” Pacific Affairs 66 (2): 183– 205.

Singapore British Colonial Rule. 1959 -Lee Kuan Yew becomes PM. 1963 -Enters federation with Malaysia. 1965 -Breaks off from Malaysia and becomes a republic. 1990 -Yew steps down, Goh Chock Toh new PM. 2004 -Lee Hsien Loong (eldest son on Lee Kuan Yew) becomes PM.

Some sources Means, Gordon Paul. 1996. “Soft Authoritarianism in Malaysia and Singapore. ” Journal of Democracy 7 (4): 103 -117. Lingle, C. 1996. Singapore’s authoritarian capitalism: Asian values, free market illusions, and political dependency. Edicions Sirocco (Barcelona and Fairfax, VA).

Brunei Darrussalam 1888 -Brunei becomes British protectorate. 1929 -Oil Extraction begins. 1959 -First written constitution, makes Islam state religion, British responsible for defense and foreign affairs. 1963 -Brunei opts to remain a British dependency rather than join Malaysia. 1984 -Brunei becomes independent nation.

Thailand 1782 -Beginning of Chakri Dynasty. 1932 -Constitutional Monarchy. 1947 -Military coup. 1991 -Anand Panyarachun becomes PM. 1997 -Financial Crisis 2001 -Thaksin Shinawatra wins PM. 2006 -Military coup. 2008 -now: Red-shirt yellow shirts.

Sources Baker, Chris Phongpaichit Pasuk. 2005. A History of Thailand. Port Melbourne, Vic. , Australia  New York: Cambridge University Press. Riggs, F. W. 1966. Thailand: The modernization of a bureaucratic polity. East. West Center Press. Anderson, Benedict. 1990. “Murder and Progress in Modern Siam. ” New Left Review I (June): 33– 48. Winachakul, Thongchai. 1997. Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation.

Vietnam French colonial rule. 1954: First Indo-china war ends with fall of Dien Bien Phu. 1954 -1975: Second Indo-china war 1968 -Tet offensive. 1973: Cease fire and US pull out. 1975: North invades South 1976: Socialist Republic or Vietnam proclaimed.

Sources Popkin, Samuel L. c 1979. The rational peasant the political economy of rural society in Vietnam. Berkeley: University of California Press. Kerkvliet, Benedict J. 2005. The power of everyday politics: How Vietnamese peasants transformed national policy. Cornell Univ Press.

Cambodia French colonial rule. 1953 -Independence. 1965 -Breaks of relations with US, allies with N. Vietnam. 1975 -Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot take power. Killing fields. 1979 -Vietnam invades and deposes Khmer Rouge. 1985 -Hun Sen becomes PM. 1991 -Paris Peace Accords.

Sources Chandler, D. P. 1992. A history of Cambodia. Westview Press Boulder, CO. Kiernan, B. 2002. The Pol Pot regime: race, power, and genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975 -79. Yale Univ Pr.

Laos French colonial rule. 1954 -Independence to Constitutional Monarchy. 1960 s-Theatre for war during Indo-China wars. 1975 -Monarchy is deposed and replaced by socialist government in 1975 (Pathet Lao).

The Landscape of Southeast Asian Politics 42 Timor-Leste 57 Thailand 60 Indonesia 71 Malaysia 74 Philippines 82 Singapore 100 Cambodia 140 Vietnam 156 Laos 163 Myanmar ? ? ? Brunei 7. 22 6. 55 6. 53 6. 19 6. 12 5. 89 4. 87 2. 94 2. 10 1. 77 ? Flawed dem. Hybrid regime Authoritarian ? Parliamentary Republic Const. monarchy, Parliamentary Presidential system, Republic Const. monarchy, Parliamentary Presidential, Constitutional Republic Parliamentary Republic Const. monarchy, Parliamentary Socialist republic, single-party communist Military junta (de facto military dictatorship) Sultanate http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Democracy_Index

Questions and Debates Some scholars lament the lack of democracy in Southeast Asia. Some scholars try to understand the variation in political systems. Some scholars try to understand why democracy is spreading. What stands in its path?

Democracy Participation Competition. Protection of civil and political rights.

Authoritarianism One or a small group of individuals exercise power over the state. Government is not constitutionally responsible to the public Public has little or no role in selecting leaders. Severe limits on individual freedoms.

Kinds of Authoritarianism Personal Rule Military Rule One-Party Rule Theocracy Illiberal Regimes

Sources of Democracy and Authoritarianism in SE Asia Cultural explanations Economic explanations

Cultural Explanation for Democracy ‘Western Culture’ is somehow well suited for democracy. Because of its individualism and nonhierarchical social structure. A ‘Spirit of Capitalism. ’

Asian Values Loyalty to the family. Community over individual. Development and security over individual rights. Consensus over majority rule. Importance of social harmony.

The Asian Values Debate Articulated by Asia’s leaders. West vs. East Western ‘decay’ vs. Asian growth. Human rights.

Problems with Asian Values Plenty of Asian dissenters. More and more Asian democracies. Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia Thompson, Mark. 2001. “Whatever Happened to ‘Asian Values’? ” Journal of Democracy 12 (4) (October 1): 154 -165.

Cultural Diversity and Authoritarianism Asian values suggests that all Asians have something in common. But Southeast Asia is diverse in culture. Authoritarianism arises because of this diversity.

Economic Explanations for Authoritarianism There is a relationship between economic growth and democracy/authoritarianism. Rich countries tend to be more democratic. WHY? Recall that many of the arguments against democracy occurred during economic growth…

Middle Class and Democracy Richer countries have capitalist middle class. Middle class is more educated, able to articulate, and interested in political rights. “No Middle Class, No Democracy. ”

Middle Class and Democracy Moore, Barrington. 1966. Social origins of dictatorship and democracy lord and peasant in the making of the modern world. Boston: Beacon Press. Sidel, John. 2008. “Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Colonial State and Chinese Immigrant in the Making of Modern Southeast Asia. ” Journal of Comparative Politics.

Social Origins 2008 Rise of a middle class in itself does not guarantee democracy. It is determined by the “degree of vigor and independence of a country's bourgeoisie. ” No middle class: Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam Dependent middle class: Singapore, Brunei. Assimilated middle class: Thailand, Philippines “Pariah” middle class: Malaysia, Indonesia

Middle Class + and Democracy Maybe the middle class are “contingent democrats. ” In other words, they will join when it suits them and they will ally with other sectors such as the working class. How do we understand the Philippines? Or how do we understand Singapore?

“Supply Side” arguments Some argue that it is about the elites. Regimes change when there is elite disunity. Regimes are stable when there is elite unity. Case, William. 2002. Politics in Southeast Asia: Democracy or Less. Routledge Press.

Elite Forces Quiescent Constituents Participatory Society Elite Cohesion Elite Disunity Stable Authoritarianism (Indonesia, Singapore) Stable Democracy (Philippines) Unstable Authoritarianism (Malaysia) Unstable Democracy (Thailand)

Democracies Democracy Philippines (low-quality), Thailand (unconsolidated) Semi Democracy Singapore, Malaysia Pseudo Democracy Indonesia Hard Authoritarian Burma?

The Problem with General Arguments Tendency to generalize and hard to explain exceptions. Tendency towards determinism, backwards explanation. Hard to anticipate change. Importance of historical context, key events, and individual leaders.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Japanese in Invasion Politically unites the region and attempts to impose Japanese culture. Brings Southeast Asia to the forefront of addressing the global threat Japan’s rise. Brings the imperial powers together in their quest to retake the former territories.

The Cold War Vietnam War, the bombing of Cambodia and Laos. War between Cambodia and Vietnam. Invasion of East Timor. Conflict between Indonesia and Malaysia.

SEATO September of 1954, the United States, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand Pakistan formed the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, or SEATO. Other countries in the region express less interest. Disbanded after the Vietnam War in 1977.

Regional and International Relations China and the South China Sea. Shared concerns about terrorism. International trade (AFTA).

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) established in 1967. Founding members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand (later Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Cambodia). Promote regional economic growth, peace and security, and mutual assistance.

ASEAN Regional FORUM (ARF) a formal, official, multilateral dialogue in Asia Pacific region. of 27 participants foster dialogue and consultation, and promote confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the region.

ASEAN Regional FORUM (ARF) all the ASEAN members, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the People's Republic of China, the European Union, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, East Timor, United States and Sri Lanka.

Asia Pacific Economic cooperation Established in 1989 by the Australian PM. Opposed by a variety of groups who wanted a more “Asian” grouping. Elevated in 1993 by President Clinton at the Blake Island Seattle Summit.

ASEAN

Realism a. ka. Realpolitik A school of thought that explains international relations in terms of power. The foundational principle of realism is dominance. Realism is contrasted with Idealism, a school of thought that considers other factors than just raw power.

ASEAN AS…. A collective way to counter China or other threats. A tool of powerful states. Largely symbolic and actually has very little power to influence the international system.

Principles of Liberal IR Theory Liberal IR is based on the idea of reciprocity. It argues that states often cooperate with each other, contrary to the predictions of realism.

ASEAN as the Asian EU Interests between states can overlap. Power is not zero-sum, it is positive sum. Regional institutions help promote cooperation.

Identity and International Relations States don’t behave merely on material interests alone. There also social rationale for behavior.

AN “ASIA-PACIFIC WAY” Asean is more than just about reciprocal cooperation. There is a process of identity building going-on. There is something called an ASEAN or an Asia-Pacific way.

Four ideas open regionalism cooperative security soft regionalism flexible consensus

What about non-state regionalism? ASEAN, ARF, APEC, etc. are all regional institutions that are run by and for the benefit of states. Can we think of other ways in which to think about regionalism in Southeast Asia? What about regional ties based on faith and “secret regionalism”

Today Review of what is Southeast Asia States in Early Southeast Asia Political Systems in Post-War Southeast Asia International Relations and Regional Instituitions

Other Themes Political Economy of Development Political Ecology Religion and Politics Ethnic Politics and Conflict