The idea for a regional block in Asia, to a large extent, was conceptualized by the United States. U.S. President Lyndon
Johnson presented the ASEAN concept as an alliance of all the free nations of the Pacific and Asia and invited the Asian countries to come together in a co-operative effort to bring about economic
development of the region, promising them the U.S.'s financial assistance and support. For all intents and purposes, this is what everyone believed ASEAN would accomplish at the time, including the ASEAN member nations themselves. However, the cooperative development of the nations was only the covering for the U.S.'s real agenda: to halt the progress of Communism and use the ASEAN nations and Japan as the roadblocks: While the goal of the ASEAN member countries has been acquiring an "Asian identity" and achieving regional economic
cooperation, the objective of the United States has been largely strategic in nature. Such reality poses a number of implications for ASEAN. On one hand, it leaves ASEAN as a pawn for the United States and its allies, making the possibility of upholding real ASEAN interests difficult in the face of a hegemon's (the United States) interests. In addition, it also renders the concept of ASEAN regionalism in question because of the massive outside influence that it is vulnerable to under U.S. "guidance." This leaves the question of whether ASEAN is truly a Southeast Asian regional block or not. Thus, as this essay argues, ASEAN although originally intended to be an organization that upholds Asian regionalism and reduce dependence on foreign powers and markets, was intentionally used by the United States and its allies to uphold their own political and economic interests - the industrialization of Japan within a neoliberal paradigm and the expansion of U.S. ideals to counter the communist treat, among others - in Asia and the rest of the world. In order to prove this point, the paper first provides the theoretical foundations of its thesis using the theories of Structural Power and Hegemony. The next section then provides an analysis of the roles that the U.S. and its main ally, Japan, played in the development of ASEAN and the effect of their influence in ASEAN. China's role and effect in ASEAN are also discussed. The paper then provides a historical account of the development of ASEAN to show the facts that support the case. The next section then sketches the future of ASEAN. The essay ends with concluding remarks. It includes figures and graphs. Paper Outline: Introduction Theoretical Foundations of U.S. Influence in ASEAN The Role of the US The Role of Japan The Role of China Three Contesting Powers ASEAN Evolution in the Face of a Global Power Structure Cooperation in the State of Turmoil (1967-1984) The Birth of ASEAN in 1967 Vietnam Policy and ASEAN ASEAN and the Promotion of Asian Capitalism The Cambodia Crisis Cooperation in the Age of Growth (1985-1996) The Plaza Accord Flying Geese Model Economic Cooperation Cooperation in the Age of Crisis and Recovery (1997-2005) The Asian Financial Crisis The IMF in ASEAN ASEAN+3 China: A Potential Regional Rival Japan's Assistance Measures Post 9-11 Security: ASEAN as a Pawn of U.S. Policy The Future of ASEAN The Evolution of Cooperation between ASEAN and Japan ASEAN and the G3 Bloc Human Rights Issues Facing ASEAN Toward a Regional Community Conclusion Works Cited