The impact of globalization and international affairs has brought about also a heightened consciousness in regionalism in South East Asia, and a gradual change in the political mindset of non-interference. Events happening in another part of the world will directly or indirectly cause an effect on internal affairs within a state because of the interlinked nature of globalization. The joint maritime patrolling effort of the Malacca Strait by three ASEAN states – Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, alongside an external regional player – India, set a precedent for such increased co-operation between states.
Interstate co-operation is all the more necessary in dealing with difficult social problems like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus outbreak in 2003, the bird flu virus outbreak in late 2004, which affected the food industry and economy, and the Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster in December 2004. Through pooling of resources and international publicizing via the Internet and media, states can react in a more efficient and effective manner when faced with unexpected contingencies such as those mentioned above.
Globalization is set to transform the world in unprecedented ways in the 21st century. What states, societies and individuals should be aware, is how to maximize the benefits brought about by the onset of increased global contact. Creative ways must be adopted in fighting terrorism at the international level. Old mindsets and strategies must change. Two recent important events – the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City on September 11, 2001, became turning points in history in marking the progress of the world from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. Globalization, and its two attendant features, the Internet and the cellphone, certainly had a vast impact on international security, and in doing so, also influenced events in South East Asia as well.
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