Two decisive developments underpin the main thrust of the Philippines' relations with the region and the world in the current order: the end of the long history of special bilateral ties with the United States; and the emergence of a heightened sense of awareness of the importance of Asia, and Southeast Asia in particular, to the country's economic and political future. A confluence of internal and global factors explain this significant reorientation.

The Philippines' colonial past and long years of dependency on the United States marginalized its ties with Asia and its Southeast Asian neighbours. During the height of the Cold War, the country served as America's closest ally in the region, an explosive role at a time when much of Asia seethed with militant nationalist movements and popular armed challenges to official government rule.

The end of the Cold War and the relative decline of the United States as an economic power coincided with the birthing of the post-Marcos period. In the Philippines, a defining moment in the country's relations with the United States took place in September 1991 when the Philippine Senate voted to end American occupation of two huge military bases in the country (Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base) and a host of complementary military installations. With this historic decision, Philippine-American relations came to be viewed from a fresh perspective, thus allowing a better appreciation of the importance of Asia and the region in the shaping of contemporary events.

Undoubtedly, the compelling model of economic growth and development presented by the late industrializers of East and Southeast Asia has contributed to this new importance of the region in the country's consciousness. More concretely, the conscious moves on the part of the ASEAN members to strengthen their own economic and political linkages in response to both regional and global developments have provided the firm basis for this reorientation by the Philippines.