The Presence in Southern Asia of Outside Powers

Abstract

In considering the presence of outside powers in South and Southeast Asia, this discussion covers a spectrum of phenomena included in the often-used but highly ambiguous concept of "presence." It examines the major different forms of outside "presence" in Pakistan, India, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

It then notes the shifting preponderant foreign presence in Pakistan, the diminishing American presence in both Pakistan and India, the rising Soviet military assistance presence in India, and the lack of foreign presence in Burma. There is an expectation that the American presence in Thailand will decline and growing anxiety there about likely Vietnam presence in the future, particularly among ethnic minorities on Thailand's frontiers. A Japanese presence, in the form of commercial activity, at the very least, is growing rapidly—in Thailand and Indonesia, particularly—and will grow further. The Chinese presence is more a problem for the eighties than for the seventies, except in countries with Chinese minorities, where anxieties persist and may increase. The Soviet presence is also widely expected to grow, both militarily and in terms of economic activity over the decade.