The cataclysm that was World War II produced seismic changes on a planetary scale. Few regions were more deeply impacted than Southeast Asia. The war fundamentally reshaped the region in ways that unmistakably define the present.
In this report, Marvin Ott analyzes Southeast Asia’s experience in the Pacific War and the impact that wartime changes that remain relevant to today. As Dr. Ott argues, few regions were more deeply impacted than Southeast Asia. The war fundamentally reshaped the region in ways that unmistakably define the present, ranging from the post-war independence movements to Japan’s economic relationships in Southeast Asia. Given the ongoing legacy of the Pacific War to the region’s geopolitics in the contemporary era, it is important to understand the conflict and its impacts on Southeast Asia today, especially as China continues to rise in the Indo-Pacific.
This article is part of the Asia Program’s Legacy of the Pacific War series.
The Legacy of the Pacific War: 75 Years Later
About the Author
Marvin Ott
Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University; Former Professor of National Security Policy, National War College and Deputy Staff Director, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Indo-Pacific Program
The Indo-Pacific Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on US interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the world’s most populous and economically dynamic region. Read more
