TJC HISTORY H2 PRELIMS 2008

TEMASEK JUNIOR COLLEGE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2008 HISTORY Higher 2 9731 WEDNESDAY 10 September 2008 Paper 2 3 hr INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES • Write your name and civics tutorial group in the spaces provided on the cover page and on every answer. • Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. • Write your answers on the separate answer paper provided. • Start each answer on a fresh sheet of paper. • All questions in this paper carry equal marks. • Candidates are to answer Question 1 in Section A, and answer any 3 questions in Section B. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES • You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers. This paper consists of 4 printed pages. © Temasek JC 2008

SECTION A You must answer Question 1 1. Read the sources and then answer the question SOURCE A ASEAN has been one of the most durable examples of regional multilateralism. It acts as the hub, if not the leader, of regional multilateral forums for East Asia. The fact that the region's most powerful players - - including China, India, and the United States - s how deference to ASEAN by participating in these forums demonstrates that ASEAN still matters. ASEA N's positive image was built around three areas of accomplishment in its first three decades. First, since 1967 no ASEAN member has engaged a fellow ASEAN member in major armed confrontation, in spite of occasional border skirmishes and bilateral territorial disputes and political tensions. Second, ASEAN was instrumental in bringing the decade-long Vietnamese-Cambodian conflict to the negotiating ta ble in 1989 and in reaching a peace agreement in 1991. Vietnam, then seen as an obstacle to regional stability, is now a valued member of the organization. Finally, as the Cold War ended, it was ASEAN which provided the platform for building broader regional institutions that would engage a rising China and other major players in East Asia. Amitav Acharya, in Foreign Affairs, 2008 SOURCE B One of ASEAN's greatest achievements has been its capacity to promote stability among its members. ASEAN's tools are its consensus-based diplomacy, its capacity to draw in the great powers in a non- threatening way, and the clout its economic prosperity has given it. As a result, South-East Asia, once regarded as one of the world's most politically tumultuous regions, is now characterised, for the most part, by longstanding stability. The ARF may in fact prove to be one of ASEAN's most important contributions to regional affairs - if not the most important. It has already established itself as the primary multilateral forum for the discussion of security issues in the Asia Pacific region. Alexander Downer, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, ASEAN 30 th Anniversary Seminar, Sydney August 1997 SOURCE C The turn towards economics as a basis for regionalis m after the Cambodian issue brings with it organizational difficulties. Fundamental differences exist between the globalists, such as Singapore and Thailand, and countries such as Indonesia, which are all for a slower pace of liberalization. Both Singapore and Thailand have been frustrated by the slow pace of economic liberalization within ASEAN and have advocated the development of an econom ic regionalism that goes beyond the narrow focus of AFTA. Leszek Buszynski, an academic, December 1997 This paper consists of 4 printed pages. © Temasek JC 2008

SOURCE D ASEAN has outlived its usefulness. Hopes that ASEAN can promote harmony and stability in Asia are misplaced. The regional group’s membership, histor y and principles are irreconcilable with the most important element in achieving them – democratic pr inciples. Moreover, the outlook for ASEAN and the ARF is not promising. The ARF was founded to discuss security issues. However, it has too many partners with different interests; ARF’s progress is bound to be limited. China has also cultivated influence in ASEAN, especially among Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. ASEAN is an anachronistic regional institution that had failed to guarantee the region’s security and freedom. Asia Wall Street Journal, Aug 2001 SOURCE E Tensions between Southeast Asian countries may occasionally surface. Some issues between them remain unresolved. A degree of mutual suspicion lingers. But no conflict has erupted between ASEAN members. The long period of peace and stability in Southeast Asia made possible the three decades of economic and social progress in the region, unprecedented in Southeast Asia and the developing world. This is the most important achievement of ASEAN. The main reason for ASEAN's enduring strength has been the stake that each member has in the viability of the association. This stake goes beyond the results of the economic and other forms of cooperation that ASEAN has been undertaking over the past three decades. ASEAN is more than an association of states. It is also a process, a spirit, a state of mind. A SEAN is also building on its achievements through deeper cooperation on broad range of tr ansnational concerns – envir onment, drugs, regional economic competitiveness. Rodolfo C Severino, ASEAN Secretary-General, 1999 . Now answer the following question “After thirty years, ASEAN has developed into a strong organization that has fulfilled its intended purpose.” How far do sources A-E support this view? This paper consists of 4 printed pages. © Temasek JC 2008

This paper consists of 4 printed pages. © Temasek JC 2008 SECTION B You must answer THREE questions from this section. You must support each answer with examples from at least three countries. 2. Did religion and culture help or hinder the cause of the nationalist movements across Southeast Asia in the period before World War Two? 3. “It cannot be said that the Southeast Asian states owe their independence to the Japanese.” How far do you agree with this view? 4. “In post-1945 Southeast Asia, Communism wa s a spent force with little credibility.” Discuss. 5. “Minority policies adopted by independent Southeast Asian states were flawed and inadequate.” Critically assess this claim. 6. “Regional conflicts in post-independence Southeast Asia were due to historical antagonisms.” To what extent do you agree with this assessment? …….