Southeast Asian Affairs 2006

Contains contributions by experts that discuss the significant issues and events of 2006 in each of the Southeast Asian nations and the region as a whole.

Contains contributions by experts that discuss the significant issues and events of 2007 in each of the Southeast Asian nations and the region as a whole.

An annual review of significant developments and trends in the region. Though the emphasis is on ASEAN countries, developments in the broader Asia-Pacific region are not ignored. Readable and easily understood analyses are offered of major political, economic, social, and strategic developments within Southeast Asia. The volume contains twenty articles dealing with such major themes as international conflict and co-operation, political stability, and economic growth and development.

Talking about ASEAN, this volume reappraises the organization from the inside, through controversial or perplexing issues such as the ASEAN Way, the accession of the new members, including Myanmar, the principle of non-interference, regional security, regional economic integration, the haze and SARS, and ASEAN's future.

Security and economic imperatives are increasingly intertwining the destinies of Southeast Asia and South Asia, making it necessary for scholars on both sides to deepen their understanding of each other's regions. This collection of papers, first presented at a Dialogue between the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore and the Observer Research Foundation of India in March 2006, provides perspectives from India and Singapore on some of the major security and political issues facing the two regions. The subjects covered include regional integration trends as symbolized by the first East Asian Summit, the roles of the major powers, maritime security and naval deployments in the Indian Ocean region, and political and security developments within Southeast Asia.

"e;Southeast Asian Affairs is the only one of its kind: a comprehensive annual review devoted to the international relations, politics, and economies of the region and its nation-states. The collected volumes of Southeast Asian Affairs have become a compendium documenting the dynamic evolution of regional and national developments in Southeast Asia from the end of the 'second' Vietnam War to the alarms and struggles of today. Over the years, the editors have drawn on the talents and expertise not only of ISEAS' own professional research staff and visiting fellows, but have also reached out to tap leading scholars and analysts elsewhere in Southeast and East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, North America, and Europe. A full list of contributors over forty years reads like a kind of whos' who in Southeast Asian Studies. Regardless of specific events and outcomes in political, economic, and social developments in Southeast Asia's future, we can expect future editions of Southeast Asian Affairs to continue to provide the expert analysis that has marked the publication since its founding. It has become an important contributor to the knowledge base of contemporary Southeast Asia."e; - Donald E. Weatherbee, Russell Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of South Carolina

This book traces changes in the concept of security in Asia from realist to cooperative, comprehensive, and human security approaches, and assesses a number of policy alternatives to management of both old and new security threats. It surveys not only orthodox security threats such as tensions between regional powers or armed ethnic antagonists but also new sources of anxiety such as resource scarcity, economic instability, irregular migration, community fragmentation, and international terrorism. Security policies of major powers such as China, Japan, and the United States, and the moderating roles of regional organizations such as ASEAN, ARF, SCO, and KEDO are evaluated in historical and contemporary perspectives. Contributors proffer policy-relevant insights where appropriate. The book concludes that traditional security approaches remain valid but need to be adapted to the new challenges, and offers suggestions for incorporating fresh Asian security perceptions into the agendas of policy-makers, analysts, and scholars.