Contemporary Southeast Asia articles from August 2005

Contemporary Southeast Asia archives from August 2005

A nuclear weapon-free Southeast Asia and its continuing strategic significance.
August 1, 2005... Introduction It has been a decade since the ten countries of Southeast Asia declared the region a nuclear weapon-free zone and almost three and a half decades since the adoption of its broader policy framework, the declaration of a zone of...

"Enhanced interaction" with Myanmar and the project of a security community: is ASEAN refining or breaking with its diplomatic and security culture?(Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
August 1, 2005... Introduction In June 1998, against the backdrop of the Asian economic and financial crisis and serious diplomatic disagreements with neighbouring Myanmar, (1) former Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan called on members of the Association...

Political reforms in the Philippines: challenges ahead.
August 1, 2005... Introduction Since mid-1986 the Philippines has embarked on a series of political reforms, which started with a revised Constitution. Corazon Aquino, then president of the Philippines, organized a committee to draft a new Constitution,...

Authority and law enforcement: local government reforms and security systems in Indonesia.
August 1, 2005... Introduction Since 2001, Indonesia has undergone wide-ranging decentralization. Political power and administrative responsibility have been transferred from the central government to the district level. District authorities now have the...

A "fair go" for East Timor? Sharing the resources of the Timor Sea.
August 1, 2005... Introduction On 16 November 2004 the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Mission in East Timor (UNMISET) for what was set to be a "final" six month period. This action was taken on the recommendation of UN Secretary-General...

Trickle-down hegemony? China's "peaceful rise" and dam building on the Mekong.
August 1, 2005... Introduction After its rise, will China display restrained or self-interest maximizing behaviour toward its neighbours? This question is at the heart of the propaganda line that was espoused by the Chinese leadership from 2003 until...

Southeast Asia and China: balancing or bandwagoning?
August 1, 2005... Introduction There is little doubt that China is rising to a level of unmatched prominence in the Asia-Pacific region. How other states in the region are reacting to the growth of Chinese power, however, is a matter of some debate. (1) In...

Contesting Malayness: Malay Identity Across Boundaries.(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Contesting Malayness: Malay Identity Across Boundaries. Edited by Timothy P. Barnard. Singapore: Singapore University Press, 2004. Softcover: 318pp. This is a book for specialists. It is erudite, dense, and packed with information. This...

The Thaksinization of Thailand.(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... The Thaksinization of Thailand. By Duncan McCargo and Ukrist Pathmanand. Copenhagen: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, 2005. Softcover: 277pp. Never has a Thai leader generated so much academic interest in so short a time. Prime Minister...

Regionalism and Multilateralism: Essays on Cooperative Security in the Asia-Pacific.(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Regionalism and Multilateralism: Essays on Cooperative Security in the Asia-Pacific. By Amitav Acharya. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, 2003. Softcover: 391pp. The end of the Cold War had different effects on East Asia and Europe....

Remapping East Asia: The Construction of a Region.(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Remapping East Asia: The Construction of a Region. Edited by T.J. Pempel. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2005. Softcover: 315pp. This volume, in the words of the editor's excellent introduction, addresses an "overarching...

Japan's Role in Asia: Mutual Development or Ruthless Competition.(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Japan's Role in Asia: Mutual Development or Ruthless Competition. By Lim Hua Sing. 4th Edition. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, 2003. Softcover: 333pp. As evidenced by the impending "Asian summit", China's "peaceful rise", Japan's...

Asian Discourses of Rule of Law: Theories and Implementation of Rule of Law in Twelve Asian Countries, France and the U.S.(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Asian Discourses of Rule of Law: Theories and Implementation of Rule of Law in Twelve Asian Countries, France and the U.S. Edited by Randall Peerenboom. London & New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2004. Softcover: 479pp. The rule of law rhetoric...