SINGAPORE -- Leaders in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have become increasingly vocal in calling for more independent policies and outlook in Southeast Asia, especially in the context of post-American military intervention in Iraq.
In a way, the increasingly tense political and security situation in the region today can be viewed within this context of uncertainties and mounting nationalism. Such a climate is highlighted by the recent, short-lived military mutiny in central Manila against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo; the political standoff in Myanmar between the military junta and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi; and the fluid political situation in Cambodia, following "inconclusive" election results, which could impede the formation of a stable government.
The rise of Southeast Asian nationalism could however be traced back to the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, when countries in the region realized their vulnerability in the face of globalization and liberalization, the terms of which some consider are being "forced on" to them by the West.