In indeed, it was at the suggestion of the ASEAN foreign ministers and its seven dialogue partners, namely, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and the EU that ARF was born in 1994. In addition, at a time when the US was having problems at home and the worry that there could be diminished American interest In the Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific, the thinking was that it was equally important to engage the US. Specifically, ASEAN tried to consolidate its diplomatic gain after the conclusion of the Paris agreements on Cambodia in 1991. It would like to continue to develop its stabilizing role in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in Southeast Asia through the formation of the ARF Finally, ASEAN would like to play a role in the structuring of the Asia-Pacific security architecture in the post-cold war era; it did not want the process to be dominated by major players.