TJC H2 HIST P2 QP

Temasek Junior College 2016 [Turn over   TEMASEK JUNIOR COLLEGE JC2 Preliminary Examinations 2016 HIGHER 2   HISTORY 9731/02 Paper 2 History of Southeast Asia, c1900-1997 15 September 2016 3 hours   Additional Materials: Writing Paper   READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name and CG on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the writing paper. Start each answer on a fresh piece of writing paper. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working. Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid. Section A Answer Question 1. Section B Answer any three questions. At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together. All questions in this paper carry equal marks [25]. You are reminded of the need for good English and clear handwriting in your answer. This question paper consists of 4 printed pages.

2    Temasek Junior College 2016   Section A You must answer Question 1. ASEAN IN THE POST-COLD WAR ERA 1 Read the sources and then answer the question which follows. When answering Question 1 candidates are advised to pay particular attention to the interpretation and evaluation of the sources both individually and as a group. Source A The end of the Cold War in Asia resulted in overall relaxation of tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. For ASEAN countries, it meant the end of the security threat from Vietnam and the security concerns about the Soviet Union. The Cambodian conflict was settled because Vietnam could sustain neither its occupation of Cambodia nor its confrontation with China without large-scale Soviet support which was no longer forth-coming. So the Socialist countries of Southeast Asia had no alternative to economic liberalisation and cooperation with the major capitalist powers and the non-Communist states of Southeast Asia. New market- oriented economies and new centres of rapid gr owth, especially Vietnam, emerged. With Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia becoming part of the Southeast Asian mainstream, the great divide between ASEAN and Indochina came to an end, opening new possibilities of economic and political cooperation. Adapted from an academic article by a scholar specialising in ASEAN affairs, 1997. Source B ASEAN must stay focused on basic principles: sovereign equality, consensus decision-making, domestic non-interference, and open economies. Unlike the European Union, ASEAN is an organisation for regional cooperation, not a supranational body at the expense of individual sovereignty. It was designed to manage political and security relations within the region and with major powers. For 30 years, ASEAN has successfully maintained regional peace and built a sense of community. This has allowed member states to focus their energies on development, while enhancing the confidence of foreign investors. We need not be distracted by “expert” opinions proposing that we adopt new or different ways to handle our affairs. Adapted from a speech by S. Jayakumar, then Singapore foreign minister, at a dinner commemorating the 30 th anniversary of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1998. Source C The financial crisis that started in ASEAN caught almost everyone by surprise, including most of the world’s most brilliant economists. And it quickly spread. Because of inadequate consultations among ASEAN members, no ASEAN country was sufficiently aware of the problems building up in others or of the imminent impact of those problems on themselves. There was no institutionalised mechanism fo r ASEAN members to compare notes on developments in their economies, particularly in their financial sectors, but in the real economy

3 Temasek Junior College 2016 [Turn Over as well. There was no formal forum for the finance ministers to consult on what to do about impending or fundamental problems that they may see. Extract from the recollections of then ASEAN Secretary-General Rodolfo Severino, 1999. Source D ASEAN responded to the changing environment of the Asia-Pacific by strengthening its institutional structures. It expanded the scope of its activities and its membership and demanded a prominent role in new regional organisations. Despite that, ASEAN’s ability to play a leading role in the larger Asia-Pacific is uncertain. ASEAN’s efforts to manage regional security within the ASEAN Regional Forum (A RF) are limited by ASEAN’s own institutional practices and the fact that the major powers of the region have their own distinct agendas to pursue. ASEAN’s expansion to include the remaining states of Southeast Asia has undermined its diplomatic clout and internal political cohesion. ASEAN’s attempts to create a meaningful ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) may be bearing fruit, but it is still too early to tell. The post-Cold War era is proving to be a challenge to ASEAN’s durability. Adapted from an academic writing on Southeast Asian regionalism, 2002. Source E In a region largely bereft of regional organizations and long divided by the Cold War, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been the most significant multilateral group for the past forty-five years. Since the end of the Cold War, ASEAN has grown increasingly influential……Perhaps most impo rtant, ASEAN has helped prevent interstate conflicts in Southeast Asia, despite several brewing territorial disputes in the region. Yet ASEAN lags far behind its full potential. Most Western leaders and even many of Southeast Asia’s own top officials do not consider the organisation capable of handling any serious economic or security challenges, including the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea. In previous times of severe economic downt urn, ASEAN members have looked to lenders outside the group for assistance. Because it lacks unity and high-profile leadership, ASEAN’s members have resorted to addressing disputes either bilaterally or with major power involvement. The ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta runs with a skeleton staff one-tenth of the size of the European Commission’s and also smaller than the African Union’s. Unlike the African Union, ASEAN possesses no peacekeeping force; unlike the Organization of American States (OAS), it has no strong mechanism for enforcing human rights; unlike the Arab League, ASEAN’s top leaders attract little attention from the international media; and unlike the European Union (EU), ASEAN has continually failed to adhere to commitments for deeper economic integration and broader free trade. Adapted from a paper on ASEAN’s future by an independent US think-tank, 2012. Now answer the following question. How far do Sources A-E support the view that ASEAN remained relevant as a regional organisation in the post-Cold War era?

4    Temasek Junior College 2016   Section B You must answer three questions from this section. You must support your answers with examples drawn from at least three countries. 2 How secure was the colonial order against the nationalist challenge in Southeast Asia by the eve of World War II? 3 “The process of decolonisation in Southeast Asia after 1945 was ultimately shaped by colonial attitudes and responses.” Discuss. 4 How far has democracy taken root in independent Southeast Asia in the period up to 1997? 5 Why was government intervention in some Southeast Asian economies more successful than others in the period after independence? 6 Assess the impact of inter-state tensions on regional security in Southeast Asia in the period after independence.