Historical Dictionary of United States-Southeast Asia Relations

Southeast Asia consists of the countries of Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Historically, U.S. policy and diplomacy with Southeast Asia has been defined by U.S. interests in the region, whether it's maintaining free lanes of communication through the South China Sea, gaining access to the resources and markets of Southeast Asia, or containing the spread of Communism. Since World War II, the U.S. has constantly been involved in conflicts in the region: providing material and financial support for France during the First Indochina War, becoming directly involved in the Vietnam War, supporting Thailand during the Third Indochina War, and declaring that Southeast Asia was the second front in the war on terror after September 11.

Donald E. Weatherbee is the Donald S. Russell Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina