Evaluating the Strategic Context of SEATO, 1954-1977

Abstract

This thesis seeks to determine the longitudinal impact of national strategies at the intersection of SEATO and regional security in Southeast Asia during the Cold War. In doing so, this work contributes to the historical discourse on Cold War alliances, providing insight into the dominant effects of distinct strategies pursued by SEATO’s members on regional security and stability. Specific attention is given to key underpinnings of joint SEATO strategy and distinctions in national strategies of SEATO members. The influences of the strategic maneuvering of SEATO members were intertwined with the organization’s collective engagement, and together inform our understanding of how the strategic context and outlook of SEATO members evolved over time. In the final analysis, it is seen that the containment of catastrophic geopolitical risk co-occurred with increasing disunity and separation in coordinated efforts to realize a broader conceptualization of strategic stability at the horizon.