Southeast Asia In The New International Era

This newly revised and updated ninth edition of Southeast Asia in the New International Era provides readers with contemporary coverage of a vibrant region home to more than 675 million people. Sensitive to historical legacies and paying special attention to developments since the end of the Cold War, this book highlights the events, players, and institutions that shape the region politically and economically. The scope of analysis provides context-specific treatment of the region’s 11 countries: Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. Three thematic chapters consider broader regional issues: Southeast Asia Political Economy, ASEAN, and South China Sea. Fully updated, the book’s revised content includes new discussion of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, the return of the Marcos clan in the Philippines, political dynasty in Cambodia, youth demonstrations calling for monarchy reform in Thailand, Malaysia’s 2022 elections, and the relocation of Indonesia’s capital from sinking Jakarta to Borneo. New to this edition is a dedicated chapter explaining the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. An excellent resource for students and professionals seeking to understand Southeast Asia, this book helps make sense of the region’s political complexity while building a solid foundation for further study.

"Southeast Asia in the New International Era highlights the dramatic political events sweeping a dynamic region populated by more than 500 million people. Where economic boom and crisis dominated events in the late twentieth century, economic recovery and policy dilemmas define much of the region today. Political cleavage continues to bedevil Thailand's intermittent democratization. Vietnam's single-party rule fosters ever tighter political control as it reacts to lagging economic growth. Surprising many, Burma's once closed polity now shows signs of genuine reform and openness. Elsewhere, patronage politics continues to inhibit development in the Philippines even as it fuels unprecedented growth in Cambodia and Laos. Home to the world's largest Muslim population, Indonesia blazes new ground with young democratic institutions while simmering aspirations for greater democracy in neighboring Malaysia generate mass protest. Representing the greatest contrast in the region is the rich and stable, corporatist state of Singapore versus the economically poor and politically fragile democracy of Timor-Leste. Amidst domestic developments, ASEAN's global profile continues to rise as the region's governments address a growing array of transnational concerns. This newly revised edition examines these developments and many others affecting the region and international political economy"--Provided by publisher.

A new, comprehensive, one volume history of Southeast Asia that spans prehistory to the present. Ricklefs brings together colleagues at the National University of Singapore whose expertise covers the entire region, encompassing political, social, economic, religious and cultural history. Opening with an account of the ethnic groups and initial cultural and social structures of Southeast Asia, the book moves through the early 'classical' states, the arrival of new global religions and the impact of non-indigenous actors. The history of early modern states and their colonial successors is followed by analysis of World War II across the region, Offering a definitive account of decolonisation and early post-colonial nation-building, the text then transports us to modern-day Southeast Asia, exploring its place in a world recovering from the financial crisis. The distinguished author team provide an authoritative and accessible narrative, drawing upon the latest research and offering detailed guidance on further reading. A landmark contribution to the field, this is an essential text for scholars, students and anyone interested in Southeast Asia.

"The fourth edition of Southeast Asia in the New International Era updates the region at a time of critical change. In the 1990s, Southeast Asia was known as an area of stability and movement toward de"

The fourth edition of Southeast Asia in the New International Era updates the region at a time of critical change. In the 1990s, Southeast Asia was known as an area of stability and movement toward development and democracy. At the beginning of the millennium, many of the region's nations are undergoing rapid change that belies the standard perception of stability. Since January 2000 Indonesia has democratized and disintegrated simultaneously. The Thai Prime Minister, elected with the largest majority in recent history, faces ouster for alleged corruption. The Vietnamese Communist Party is wracked with dissension about the nation's future. The Burmese military junta is unable and unwilling to meet the needs of the people. The Malaysian Prime Minister has moved toward authoritarian rule after decades of democracy. The Philippines has witnessed "People Power Two" when President Estrada was jailed and his Vice President took over the presidency. These and other recent and fundamental changes are analyzed in the fourth edition.

This book provides the basis for a reconceptualization of key features in Southeast Asia's history. Scholars from Europe, America, and Asia examine evolutionary patterns of Europe's and Japan's Southeast Asian empires from the late nineteenth century through World War II, and offer important insights into the specific events of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. In turn, their different perspectives on the political, economic, and cultural currents of the "post-colonial" era - including Southeast Asia's gradual adjustment to globalizing forces - enhance understanding of the dynamics of the decolonization process. Drawing on new and wide-ranging research in international relations, economics, anthropology, and cultural studies, the book looks at the impact of decolonization and the struggle of the new nation-states with issues such as economic development, cultural development, nation-building, ideology, race, and modernization. The contributors also consider decolonization as a phenomenon within the larger international structure of the Cold War and the post-Cold War eras.

Clark Neher builds this text around the theme that Southeast Asian political developments must be seen within the context of the changing international system. Among the areas he explores are the national elections that have taken place in the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Cambodia; the role of the United Nations in its attempt to bring peace to Cambodia; the likelihood that Vietnam will become a part of the world capitalist system; the major impact of the demise of the Soviet bloc on Southeast Asia; the new role of the United States, Japan, and China; and the prospects for the continued high economic growth rates of the region.Now in its third edition, this widely praised text continues to meet the need for a comprehensive assessment of Southeast Asia—both on a regional and country-by-country basis—in the changing global context. In this new edition, Neher has updated all statistics and revised illustrative examples and his concluding remarks for each chapter to indicate new directions, patterns, and prospects.

"This book is about Southeast Asia in a new era. This new era began with a new century and a new millennium posing great challenges to the region and to each country in it. It has a chapter on each of the ten countries in the region, covering both the politics and the economic aspects. It has one on the region as a whole, and one on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It has a thoughtful afterword that is a summary of its contents but is more than the sum of the individual chapters. Many books and chapters of books have been written on Southeast Asia, usually by external observers. Aside from being up-to-date, this book is different from most of them in several ways. Most of the chapters are written by Southeast Asians; indeed, most of the country-chapters are written by natives of those countries. This means that the perspectives are based on local insights, which provide nuance and sensitivity. The book is addressed primarily to the young people of Southeast Asia, so that they can get to know their neighbours better. Each chapter has a guide to further reading and a series of questions to provoke further research and deeper inquiry."--publisher.