| Summary/Abstract |
In this article we elucidate the evolution of Hanoi’s foreign policy proactivism which has been understudied in the contemporary literature. In selective areas, why has Vietnam adopted a more proactive foreign policy than before? By means of ‘two-level game’ theory, official documents and research papers, and expert interviews, we analyze the foreign policy of Vietnam and compare it with that of Indonesia, ASEAN’s de facto leader, by examining the former’s role in the South China Sea issue and international economic integration strategy. In these aspects which Vietnam today has evinced its sectoral leadership, compared to Indonesia, the country has faced fewer constraints in domestic and international strategic environments to exert its diplomatic proactivism.
|