|
|
|
|
Map of Asia |
CIAO DATE: 06/06
August 2005 (Volume 5, No. 2)
Empire, hierarchy, and hegemony: American grand strategy and the construction of order in the Asia-Pacific Takashi Inoguchi and Paul Bacon
Power and liberal order: America's postwar world order in transition G. John Ikenberry
Pax Americana or the empire of insecurity? Andrew Hurrell
Hegemonic order, September 11, and the consequences of the Bush revolution Michael Mastanduno
The striking feature of contemporary world politics continues to be the disproportionate power position of the United States. U.S. officials consider stability in East Asia to be of vital importance, and they have adopted a hegemonic strategy to promote regional order and serve U.S. interests. U.S. officials are likely to find the management and completion of hegemony more problematic in the years ahead. U.S. power, particularly military, will remain unchallenged. But changes in U.S. foreign policy after September 11, developments in the world economy, and developments in East Asia suggest that the exercise of U.S. power and U.S. relations with states in this all-important region will become increasingly complex and will demand more creative diplomatic efforts.
ANZUS: Regional versus Global Security in Asia? William Tow
Debate over the continued relevance of postwar U.S. alliance systems in Asia is intensifying at a time when American global' and regional' strategies seem to be converging. The ANZUS alliance is no exception to this trend. Australian and regional security analysts have recently focused on whether Australia faces a choice' between sustaining U.S. alliance affinities and commitments in a `global' context or prioritizing its regional security postures in tandem with its growing economic involvement in Asia. It is argued in this article that the two approaches are complementary rather than divergent and that the current Australian government recognises this geopolitical reality. It concludes that alliances and other classic' state-centric mechanisms for pursuing both regional and international security will continue to be applicable to Australia's need for getting the balance right' between its future regional and global strategies.
Trade liberalization and the new regionalism in the Asia-Pacific: taking stock of recent events Ramkishen S. Rajan
In the aftermath of the regional financial crisis of 199798, many Asian economies have underscored the need consciously and aggressively to explore alternative liberalization paths or fallback positions'. This is where the new regionalism' or new regional trade agreements (RTAs) become relevant. This paper explores some of the primary rationale behind, and main concerns regarding, the proliferation of bilateral and plurilateral trade pacts in the Asia-Pacific region. It also considers the dynamic time path' of Asian RTAs. Do they facilitate or hinder multilateral trade liberalization?
Crime and economic instability: the real security threat from North Korea and what to do about it Hazel Smith
This essay examines the domestic and international causation of the socioeconomic transformation that has taken place in the DPRK since the 1990s. In the process the essay demonstrates how the DPRK socio-economy has become an enabling environment for crossborder illicit economic activity. The argument is that there is little evidence that the DPRK government fully comprehends the potential problems for its own society from the lack of regulation of market transactions and therefore not much likelihood that it is currently able or willing to prevent spillover of the numerous grey areas of North Korean marketization into the socio-economies of its neighbours. What is therefore needed is positive interaction by foreign economic interlocutors, including governments and international institutions. A policy of 'intelligent intervention' that combines closely monitored but relatively substantial economic interaction integrally linked to a programme of market institution-building in the DPRK, along with a policy of military deterrence, could best contribute to preventing the growth of economic and political instability in Northeast Asia.
On norms, rule breaking, and security communities: a constructivist response Alice D. Ba
Debates and disagreements about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its status as a security community are longstanding. In offering one of the first systematic, constructivist treatments of the subject, Acharya (2001) has helped catalyze new theoretical interest in Southeast Asia, as well as new debate as illustrated by Nicholas Khoo's (2004) recent book review, in which he challenged Acharya's conclusion about ASEAN's nascent' or ascendant' security community status. This article continues the debate by offering a constructivist reply to Khoo's review. Although Khoo raises some pointed questions about Acharya's thesis, his discussion may be overly broad in its treatment of norms and their effects. Khoo may also miss important constructivist insights into process and constitution aspects of which could have been more explicity elaborated by Acharya.
Book Reviews
Economic Development of Myanmar
Myat Thein
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2004,
287 pp. ISBN 9 812 30211 5, US$17.90 Marie-Aimée Tourres
Legitimacy in International Society: Japan's Reaction to Global Wildlife Preservation
Isao Miyaoka
Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave, 2003, 240 pp.
ISBN 1 403 91780 9 (hb), 52.50 Kosuke Shimizu
Asia's Emerging Regional Order: Reconciling Traditional and Human Security
William T. Tow, Ramesh Thakur, and In-Taek Hyun (eds)
Tokyo and New York: United Nations University Press,
2000, 352 pp.
ISBN 9 280 81046 4, US$29.95 Andrew T H Tan
Non-traditional Security Issues in Southeast
Asia Andrew T. H. Tan and J. D. Kenneth Boutin (eds)
Singapore: Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies/Select Publishing, 2001, 581 pp.
ISBN 9 814 02216 0, US$29.20 Yeo Lay Hwee