SEATO

American  

[see-toh] / ˈsi toʊ /

noun

1. an organization formed in Manila (1954), comprising Australia, Great Britain, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United States, for collective defense against aggression in southeastern Asia and the southwestern Pacific: abolished in 1977.

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Etymology

Origin of SEATO

S(outh)e(ast) A(sia) T(reaty) O(rganization)

Example Sentences

Nostalgic Thais recall the glorious days when Siam's elephant corps was its dreaded force de frappe.*As a member of SEATO, Thailand nowadays sets more store by its U.S.-supplied M-24 tanks.

From Time Magazine Archive

His nation remains a partner of both Britain and the U.S. in SEATO.

From Time Magazine Archive

Though neither South Viet Nam, nor neighboring Laos, nor Cambodia is a signatory of SEATO, all three countries are under the "protection" of the eight-nation alliance.

From Time Magazine Archive

If Dulles envisioned a formal "SEATO" or "PATO." the alliance was a long way from reality.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the U.S. helps maintain an army of 20 divisions in South Korea and the 300,000 men of the Nationalist Chinese in Formosa, it is contributing mightily to the defense of SEATO.

From Time Magazine Archive