Realism and constructivism in Southeast Asian security studies today: a review essay

The post-Cold War debate among positivist and post-positivist theorists of international security - particularly realists, liberals and constructivists - has not diminished. Both realism and constructivism have now been established as the key intellectual competitors in Southeast Asian security studies. Following a brief intellectual history of Southeast Asian security studies, this paper reviews the major works of two political scientists who are leading authorities: Michael Leifer, a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a realist; and Amitav Acharya, a professor at York University and a constructivist. This review essay makes the following argument: constructivism is more insightful than balance-of-power realism, but it is more likely to conform to a sophisticated balance-of-threat theory - a form of ‘minimalist’ or ‘soft’ realism - which can help explain the daunting tasks of security-community building.