Greater Federation of Southeast Asia

The flag of the Federation.

The **Greater Federation of Southeast Asia** (**GFSA**) (Filipino: ***Pederasyon-Estado ng Timog-Silangang Asya***; Indonesian: ***Negara Federasi Asia Tenggara***; Malay: ***Persekutuan-Negeri Asia Tenggara***), internally referred to as the **Federation**, is a Southeast Asian nation situated in the Western Pacific Ocean. The Greater Federation of Southeast Asia is split into five major states: the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brunei, which were all independent nations before the formation of the Federation. Manila is the GFSA's capital and largest city.

Most of the Federation is surrounded by the Pacific, except for the easternmost portion of Malaysia, which is connected to the Asian mainland. The GFSA shares maritime borders with Japan and the North Asian Federation to the north, the Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam and Thailand to the west, the United Commonwealth to the south, and Papua New Guinae to the east. In addition, the Federation also has limited land borders with Thailand and Papua New Guinae.

The Greater Federation of Southeast Asia was formed in 2071 by the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brunei after a height in aggression by the People's Republic of China in the Pacific. Fearing an imminent invasion, these nations, linked both politically and culturally, banded together in the face of tyranny to preserve democracy in the Far East. The Federation is currently led by President Andrea Mendoza.

## History

### **Origins (1967 - 2071)**

#### **Formation of ASEAN (8 August 1967)**

> *"One Vision, One Identity, One Community"*
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> - Motto of ASEAN
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The origins of the Greater Federation of Southeast Asia lie in the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a political and economic union of several Southeast Asian nations. Throughout its history, ASEAN faciliated economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural ties between its member states, which included Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

#### **Myanmar Crisis (2017 - 2023)**

Beginning in 2017, ASEAN would face its first crisis when Myanmar, one of its member states, began a genocide against the Rohingya people, killing thousands and forcing many to relocate to neighboring countries. ASEAN intially refused to intervene military, stating that it was an "internal issue" that Myanmar needed to solve by itself.

In 2018, most ASEAN member states had begun to advocate for military intervention in Myanmar to stop the crisis, but by 2020, little progress was made and was further delayed by the Coronavirus Pandemic. By this time, ASEAN had been criticized by many human rights groups because of its inabilty to act in Myanmar

In February 2021, before newly-elected civilian leaders were to assume power, the government was overthrown in a coup d'etat by a military junta. After the coup, the new government enacted martial law, declared a state of national emergency, and cracked down on dissent. After protests began to erupt around the nation, ASEAN was pressured by the global community to act. In April 2021, ASEAN leadesr met with Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader, and attempted to come to a consensus. One was reached, but Myanmar did not abide by its guidelines.

Then, later in 2021, ASEAN refused to invite the coup leader to the October 2021 Summit. No further major actions would be taken until May 2022, when, breaking with ASEAN non-interventionism, a coalition of military forces were ammased to militarily intervene and restore democracy. In late May 2022, thousands of ASEAN soldiers from several member states launched an assault on Myanmar, liberating the nation by August 2022. A democratic government was then installed, resulting in the Union of Burma that still exists today.

#### **Bruneian Democracy Movement and ASEAN Intervention (2031 - 2034)**

In 2031, the Sultan of Brunei, essentially still an absolute monarch at this point, enacted increasingly harsh policies against those he determined were "undesirables," including dissenters, opposition leaders, homosexuals, and to some extent non-Muslims. Over the course of the next few months, a large, underground pro-democracy movement had begun.

By January 2032, several pro-democracy leaders were detained and presumably executed by Bruneian government forces, sparking fierce protests in the streets of major cities. The government then deployed riot police and soldiers, who clashed with protestors, culminating in the "Bruneian Night of Tears," the killing of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Bruneian demonstrators in the streets.

The government then increased monitoring of the internet, arresting those it determined to be attempting to undermine the regime. A few months after the massacre, by May 2032, several major human rights groups around the globe called on ASEAN to act in Brunei. On June 2, 2032, ASEAN leaders met in Singapore to discuss the crisis, which the increasingly paranoid Bruneian Sultan declined to attend. The decision was made to pressure the Sultan to resign and abdicate power in favor of democracy, or ASEAN would militarily intervene to end the monarch's tyranny. The deadline was set at August 1, 2032.

Unsurprisingly, the Sultan did not resign and enacted more harsh policies, causing an emergency ASEAN summit on August 2, 2032 to discuss military intervention. Beginning on August 21, 2032, ASEAN forces mobilized outside of Brunei in preparation for the invasion and were secretly funneling weapons to Bruneian pro-democracy insurgency groups that had grown in the underground.

The Invasion of Brunei began on September 14, 2032, as ASEAN forces entered the small nation, backed up by ordinary Bruneian citizens who had taken up arms. They quickly pushed back government forces to the capital, which was encircled by September 25. As the combined ASEAN-Bruneian citizen forces closed in on the capital, the Sultan and other high-ranking government officials reportedly committed suicide. The capital and the remaining government forces surrendered on October 2, 2032.

Over the next two years, the Bruneian government underwent massive reforms, in which a democratic system was installed in the nation for the first time and the monarchy was abolished. ASEAN officials managed to retrieve the previous government's documents and detailed the atrocities committed by them, some of which would be released to the public. The intervention in Brunei as well as the previous intervention in Myanmar had fundamentally changed ASEAN as an alliance, as now it would be an alliance defending democracy in the Far East.

#### **Chinese Aggression (2056-2071)**

Over the course of the next couple of decades, the ties between ASEAN nations deepened and the alliance took a more NATO-like approach in terms of militaries. ASEAN miltiaries had begun to standardize equipment by the 2040s, which would increase in the early 2050s after a sudden rise in Chinese military buildup.

In response, ASEAN nations ramped up their own defense spending to counter a potential Chinese invasion of the Republic of China (Taiwan) or beyond. This effort was partially funded by the United States, which increased its own military presence in the Pacific. In 2057, the United States and several ASEAN nations began to joint-develop a class of aircraft carriers and other warships that would be able to deter Chinese vessels. China responded by deploying its carrier groups throughout the South China Sea as a show of force.

In December 2061, a group of Chinese aircraft nearly violated ASEAN airspace, leading to increased tensions between the People's Republic of China and ASEAN. Soon after, ASEAN fighter groups were mobilized to patrol around the alliance's airspace. On February 2062, a tense standoff ocurred between an ASEAN fighter group and a nearby Chinese military aircraft, but crisis was averted.

Over the course of the next few years, ASEAN continued steady military buildup with help from the United States, with the first ASEAN carriers entering service from 2065-2068, drastically increasing the alliance's military might in the Pacific. Soon after, ASEAN purchased a large fleet of American carrier-based fighters to operate.

Tense standoffs continued to happen between new ASEAN fleets and encroaching Chinese military vessels. This came to a head in late 2070 when ASEAN and American intelligence reported a massive buildup of the Chinese military, potentially pointing to an invasion. An emergency ASEAN summit was held in Manila on 11 August 2070 to discuss the issue, which led to several ASEAN leaders agreeing to unite their nations to defend democracy in the East; those nations being the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore. As Pacific tensions rose, preparations were made to unite the five nations and reform ASEAN.

### **Founding the Federation (2071)**

The Greater Federation of Southeast Asia was proclaimed on 22 April 2071, an action that was highy-supported by most citizens. Thereater, ASEAN was reformed and replaced by the Southeast Asian Alliance (SEAA), now a defensive military alliance. The Federation' capital would be located in Manila, the largest and most influential city of its combined territories. Razeen Haji, famous for his rise to power during the Bruneian Democracy Movement nearly 40 years prior, would be elected the first President of the Federation.

Soon after this, the United States, the Federation, and the SEAA nations began naval exercises to both train crews and to project power. China responded by launching several more air groups around Federation and SEAA airspace, hightening tensions even more. In addition, sattelite images confirmed that Chinese forces were continuing to build up.