Regionalism Economic Integration And Security In Asia

The prospects and value of economic integration and regionalism in Asia are increasingly evident in what could turn out to be 'the Asian Century'. It is within this context that this important book explores the critical economic issues, security concerns and political themes pertinent to Asia in general, and to East Asia in particular. The book features contributions by both Asian and Western scholars who take an interdisciplinary approach encompassing economics, political science and culture. They address various issues including the application of European experiences to Asia, and blend regional country perspectives with broader external views from Russia and the US. In conclusion, the book suggests a tentative roadmap and future directions for an Asian community asserting the importance of cultural and value studies. This objective analysis of Asian regionalism explores perspectives from both within and outside the region. As such it will prove a fascinating read for academics and researchers, practitioners and policy-makers in a wide variety of fields, including Asian studies, economics, public policy, political economy, international relations and regional science.

The prospects and value of economic integration and regionalism in Asia are increasingly evident in what could turn out to be 'the Asian Century'. It is within this context that this important book explores the critical economic issues, security concerns and political themes pertinent to Asia in general, and to East Asia in particular.

Lucid and broad-ranging in its scope, this interdisciplinary volume sheds light on the relationship between national policies, regional integration patterns and the wider global setting. A vital and much-needed study.

'Dent and Dosch have put together a superb volume that explores new dimensions of the world events for the past five decades and take decrypting the processes of regionalism, global system, and world society to a new height. The contributors have enhanced our understanding of how regionalism has been changing, when a world society will be created, and why East Asia's centrality matters in this unfolding drama. Policymakers, academics, and mass media opinion makers will find the book useful, provocative, and refreshing.' – Eul-Soo Pang, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore Ever since the Asia-Pacific transformed from an 'institutional desert' into one of the most networked areas in the world, questions of the region's future and the future of the global system have become closely intertwined. This volume explores the key issues of regional co-operation, economic and political integration, security relations and international affairs within and across the Asia-Pacific. The expert contributors shed critical light on how significant developments are impacting on the global system. In particular, they consider emerging forms of global governance, and how the Asia-Pacific as a region, individual countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and the US, and regional organisations and forums like APEC are shaping the world. Uniquely, the discussion is not limited to East Asia but also takes Latin America prominently into the equation. This timely book will prove to be a stimulating read for academics, students, researchers and policymakers with an interest in Asian studies, development and agriculture, economics, international studies.

This volume offers to compare and explain variances of regionalism in Asia by disclosing the distinctive features of regional arrangements and how they evolved during the 1990s and 2000s against the background of a changing global environment. Moreover, it takes up a genuinely ‘inter-Asian’ perspective. By analysing and comparing diverse manifestations of regional integration agreements across Asia and its different sub-regions, it sets out to track their common characteristics and sub-regional facets with respect to their establishment, design and consequences. In addition, political processes accompanying their negotiation and implementation are scrutinized. The analysis encompasses nine case studies written by renowned scholars who together as a group combine an extraordinary mixture of different disciplinary backgrounds as well as expertise on shapes and processes of regional integration in different parts of Asia. The case studies seize on some of the most important features and controversial issues characterizing the second regionalism. Such are the emergence and impact of overlapping FTAs, regional financial and sub-regional economic integration and cooperation, power and the politics of regional integration as well as the nexus between conflict resolution, state failure and regional integration.

By combing the analysis of the three dimensions of integration, this book enables readers to gain a broad understanding of the theory and practice of integration processes in Asia.

Exploring regionalism from a political economic perspective, this text investigates why regional arrangements are formed, the conditions under which these arrangements solidify, and why they take on different institutional forms.

Zahid Shahab Ahmed evaluates the progress of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This study goes beyond economic integration to present a detailed appraisal of cooperation under the overarching themes of economic cooperation, environmental security, human welfare, and cooperation in security matters. According to the author, SAARC is making progress in addressing the myriad of issues on its agenda. The transition from agreements to actions and frequent interactions among the member states has boosted confidence. The progress of SAARC is more evident in the less controversial areas of human security, such as poverty alleviation, health and safety, human resources development, and higher education. Notwithstanding enthusiastic commitments reflected in agreements and action plans, there is a gulf between rhetoric and implementation most notably in sensitive areas relating to traditional security. In the light of the findings of this study, the author proposes that greater cooperation in common human security areas has a potential to pave the way for a cooperation on issues of a ’contentious’ nature, particularly terrorism.