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

He would also withdraw the U.S. from SEATO, dismissing the treaty as "one of those Dulles pacts that has never meant anything."

From Time Magazine Archive

Its guarantees would probably include the protection of Laos, Cambodia and South Viet Nam, although these countries, with their freedom restricted by the Geneva agreement, might not be able to join SEATO.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

From Time Magazine Archive

But, he explained, if the U.S., through SEATO, promises protection from aggression, Laos can turn its full attention to putting down subversion.

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