Ethnic Tensions and the Security Dilemma in Southeast Asia

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The purpose of this chapter is to determine the applicability of the security dilemma to ethnic tensions within Southeast Asia and the prospects of mitigating its effects. The chapter does not provide an analysis of all ethnic tensions in the region because such an undertaking would be beyond the scope of one chapter. Rather than examining each ASEAN member separately the analysis will focus on three case studies involving ethnic conflict: ethnocratic regimes; self-determination; migration. In all three case studies the focus is on the existence of the three characteristics of the security dilemma in the relations between ethnic groups, and also between ethnic groups and the regime. Is their fear of losing their identity based upon an illusory incompatibility? Is their fear a misperception based upon uncertainty of the other’s intent? Are their solutions paradoxical and result in making matters worse by creating a real threat to their ethnicity? This section will then be followed with an examination of power-sharing and ethnic reconstruction to determine if these explain the apparent success of some ASEAN states in mitigating the intra-state security dilemma. However, because the security dilemma operates in a self-help environment, it is first necessary to determine whether the ASEAN members are weak states.KeywordsEthnic IdentityReal ThreatEthnic ConflictCredible CommitmentASEAN MemberThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.