ASEAN v 21. století – balancing nebo bandwagoning

This diploma thesis addresses the issue of security dilemma of two Asian countries - Vietnam and the Philippines. The aim was to evaluate the choice of foreign policy strategy of selected countries and the factors that influence their decision-making process. The evaluation was carried out on the basis of an examination of employed tools of foreign policy, which fall into the category of balancing or bandwagoning. The results showed that while Vietnam prefers a balancing strategy, the Philippines is leaning toward bandwagoning. ASEAN is failing in its function, which is why states are more concerned with bilateral relations. The output also revealed the role of historical events and national issues in strategy selection. In the end, specific factors are formulated that cause a difference in the foreign policy of the two studied countries.