South-East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

The South-East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was a mutual security pact formed in 1954 among the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Its purpose was to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia during the Cold War. SEATO aimed to promote regional stability through collective defense and cooperation, similar to NATO in Europe. The organization was ultimately short-lived, disbanding in 1977, due to changing regional dynamics and the declining threat of communism in Southeast Asia.