Phar, Kim Beng and Hamzah, Luthfy (2025) If you think Southeast Asia is bad, think of Northeast Asia for a change. If you think Southeast Asia is bad, think of Northeast Asia for a change, NA (NA). p. 1.
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Abstract
The article argues that while the Thailand–Cambodia border conflict represents a serious security crisis for Southeast Asia, the broader strategic dangers emerging in Northeast Asia are considerably more severe due to the intersection of nuclear rivalry, great-power competition, and unresolved historical conflicts. It contends that prolonged fighting between Thailand and Cambodia could generate major humanitarian consequences and destabilise mainland Southeast Asia, yet such tensions remain largely conventional in nature. By contrast, Northeast Asia is described as “structurally explosive,” particularly because any confrontation involving Taiwan would likely draw in the United States and Japan, thereby transforming a regional dispute into a global geopolitical crisis affecting trade routes, semiconductor supply chains, and alliance systems. The article further focuses on South Korea’s interest in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines as a development that could weaken regional non-proliferation norms and intensify strategic mistrust across Northeast Asia. It argues that Seoul’s pursuit of such platforms exceeds immediate defensive requirements against North Korea and risks encouraging a wider regional nuclear cascade involving Japan and China. Drawing on arguments from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the piece highlights how nuclear submarines possess symbolic and strategic associations with nuclear deterrence and second-strike capabilities, potentially lowering political and technological barriers to future nuclear armament. The article concludes that Southeast Asia, despite its periodic conflicts, has largely maintained nuclear restraint through ASEAN mechanisms and the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, whereas Northeast Asia remains far more vulnerable to escalation due to nuclear ambiguity and major-power rivalry. Ultimately, it calls for strategic restraint rather than military prestige as the basis for long-term regional stability.
| Item Type: | Article (Electronic Media) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | ASEAN; US; China; Southeast Asia; Notheast Asia |
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JZ International relations |
| Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button): | International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Political Science Office of the Rector |
| Depositing User: | Mr Muhammad Syameer Luthfy Bin Hamzah |
| Date Deposited: | 07 May 2026 16:06 |
| Last Modified: | 07 May 2026 16:06 |
| Queue Number: | 2026-05-Q3248 |
| URI: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/128877 |
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