Why tensions arose between Southeast Asian states

H2 History - syllabus 9174, 2027

What this lesson teaches

  • I can judge why tensions arose between Southeast Asian states and how they affected the region.

    Syllabus 9174, Paper 2, Theme III, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the causes and consequences of inter-state tensions on inter-state relations and the region

Make a guess

Southeast Asian states quarrelled over Sabah, Preah Vihear and water. Do you think each dispute had a single cause?

  1. Yes, each was caused by colonial borders.
  2. No, most combined colonial borders, history, interests and resources.
  3. No, each was caused by religious differences between neighbours.
Show the answer

No, most combined colonial borders, history, interests and resources.

Colonial-era agreements, old rivalries, national prestige and resources worked together in most disputes.

Tensions arose from colonial borders, rival territorial claims, historical animosities, national interests, the Cold War and resources. Most disputes combined several causes.

Colonial rule left unclear or disputed borders. The claims to Preah Vihear and Sabah both rested on agreements made in the colonial era.

Historical animosities shaped how states saw each other. Thailand and Cambodia had a long history of rivalry. Singapore and Malaysia separated in 1965 after bitter political quarrels.

New states pursued national interests and prestige. Sukarno wanted Indonesia to lead the region, and the Philippines wanted to assert itself in Asian affairs.

The Cold War added suspicion. Indonesia's confrontation of Malaysia drew in Britain, the USA and the USSR. Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1978, covered in the Third Indochina War chapter, split the region along Cold War lines.

Resources also mattered. Singapore depended on water from Johor, which made supply a sensitive issue between the two countries.

Colonial legacy
Disputed borders and agreements.
Historical animosity
Thai-Khmer rivalry; the Singapore-Malaysia split.
Cold War
Konfrontasi; the Third Indochina War.

Worked example: Sorting the causes

How can you organise the causes of tensions?

  1. Territory: Preah Vihear, Sabah, northern Borneo.
  2. History: Thai-Khmer rivalry; the split between Singapore and Malaysia.
  3. Interests and ideology: Sukarno's ambitions; the Cold War.
  4. Resources: water from Johor.

Watch out for this

Each dispute had a single cause.

Most disputes combined causes. Konfrontasi involved territory, ideology, Sukarno's ambitions and the Cold War.

Check your understanding

Which dispute was mainly about a resource?

  1. The Preah Vihear temple dispute
  2. The Philippine claim to Sabah
  3. The Singapore-Malaysia water dispute
Show the answer

The Singapore-Malaysia water dispute

Right. It concerned the supply and price of water.

Sources and context

Background reading for this chapter.

  • An American estimate of the Malaysia plan

    Paraphrase of a US Special National Intelligence Estimate, "Prospects for Malaysia", 20 February 1963.

  • An American estimate of confrontation

    Paraphrase of a US National Intelligence Estimate, "The Malaysian-Indonesian Conflict", 30 October 1963.

  • Sukarno explains his position

    Paraphrase of a telegram from the US Ambassador in Jakarta, Howard Jones, reporting a conversation with President Sukarno, 10 April 1964.

  • Malaysia reacts to a Philippine plot over Sabah

    Paraphrase of an intelligence note from the US State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research to Secretary of State Rusk, 26 March 1968.

  • Cambodia explains its break with Thailand

    Paraphrase of a US State Department record of a conversation with the Cambodian Ambassador, Nong Kimny, 1 December 1958.

  • The separation agreement guarantees the water agreements

    Paraphrase of section 14 of the Malaysian act annexed to the agreement on the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, signed on 7 August 1965 and registered in the United Nations Treaty Series.

  • an American official on the Manila summit, August 1963

    Extract from a memorandum from Roger Hilsman, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Washington, 2 August 1963, written while the leaders of Indonesia, Malaya and the Philippines were meeting in Manila. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 332. A US government document in the public domain.

  • Washington talks to General Nasution, December 1963

    Extract from a telegram from the State Department (signed by Secretary of State Rusk) to the US embassy in Indonesia, 7 December 1963, reporting talks in Washington with General Nasution, Indonesia's Defence Minister, during Konfrontasi. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 324. A US government document in the public domain.

  • the President is briefed on the temple ruling, July 1962

    Extract from a memorandum from Carl Kaysen, deputy national security adviser, to President Kennedy, Washington, 12 July 1962, and the volume editors' note on it. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 456. A US government publication in the public domain.

  • the State Department on Indonesia's new course, June 1966

    Extract from a State Department paper on Indonesia attached to a memorandum from Walt Rostow to President Johnson, Washington, 8 June 1966, a week after Indonesian and Malaysian delegations led by Adam Malik and Abdul Razak met in Bangkok. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume XXVI, document 210. A US government document in the public domain.

  • a cartoon about the Manila summit, August 1963

    An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a regional newspaper cartoon published in August 1963, during and after the Manila summit of Indonesia, Malaya and the Philippines, which asked the UN Secretary-General to find out the wishes of the people of Sabah and Sarawak. It is not a copy of a real cartoon.

The Wise Otter

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