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The end of the Cold War terminated the existence of international structures, both in terms of power and ideology, which had prevented neighbouring states from engaging in meaningful cross-border cooperation and the joint management of common resources. The Mekong Valley is a case in point. The Mekong River is the world’s twelfth largest river and Southeast Asia’s largest waterway. After some failed attempts at co-operation the process gained momentum in 1992 when, with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the six riparian states of the Mekong river entered into a program of formalised subregional cooperation. The resulting Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is now in its 15th year and the talk will present a balance sheet of achievements and challenges. The public lecture will delve into the question as to whether GMS cooperation has resulted in more stable and peaceful subregional relations. The GMS will first be placed within the debate on subregionalism. In a second step, important security-related achievements and implications of subregional cooperation will be outlined before the level of security-building in the Mekong basin will be assessed. It will be shown how economic cooperation is followed in the pursuit of security and stability in a formerly conflict-ridden area. Particular emphasis will be given to energy and environmental security and the overall state of relations between China (Yunnan and Guangxi provinces) as the upstream country and Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam as the downstream members of the GMS.