Contemporary Southeast Asia articles from December 2008

Contemporary Southeast Asia archives from December 2008

ASEAN and political change in Myanmar: towards a regional initiative?(Report)
December 1, 2008... On 9 February 2008, Myanmar's ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced that a referendum on the final draft of the country's new constitution would be organized in May. It also indicated that there would be multi-party...

Even paranoids have enemies: Cyclone Nargis and Myanmar's fears of invasion.(Report)
December 1, 2008... After Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar (formerly Burma) in May 2008, the world was stunned at the response of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), which initially refused to accept humanitarian assistance. (1) Even after...

A ministry for the south: new governance proposals for Thailand's Southern region.(Report)
December 1, 2008... Following the turn of the millennium, Thailand's Southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have experienced serious political violence; more than three thousand people have died in the conflict since the beginning of 2004. As...

Relations among security and law enforcement institutions in Indonesia.(Report)
December 1, 2008... Indonesia is not often considered a state where security management is well conducted. The dominant perception appears to be that law enforcement and security institutions cooperate poorly. In part, this trend is informed by academic works on...

Sino-Japanese cooperation in the East China Sea: limitations and prospects.(Report)
December 1, 2008... On 16 June 2008, Japanese and Chinese media reported that a breakthrough had been reached in the four-and-a-half year Chunxiao gas dispute. Rumours that an agreement was imminent had been circulating since early 2008 and had gained momentum...

Conflict, Violence, and Displacement in Indonesia.(Book review)
December 1, 2008... Conflict, Violence, and Displacement in Indonesia. Edited by Eva-Lotta E. Hedman. Ithaca, New York: Cornell Southeast Asia Program, 2008. Softcover: 304pp. The communal conflicts across Indonesia following the fall of Soeharto produced...

Pacific Asia: In Quest of Democracy.(Book review)
December 1, 2008... Pacific Asia: In Quest of Democracy. By Roland Rich. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2007. Softcover: 333pp. Pacific Asia: In Quest of Democracy is written by a former Australian diplomat who has served as ambassador to Laos,...

Promoting Human Rights in Burma: A Critique of Western Sanctions Policy.(Book review)
December 1, 2008... Promoting Human Rights in Burma: A Critique of Western Sanctions Policy. By Morten B. Pedersen. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Hardcover: 291pp. The scope of this study covers much more ground than the title suggests in that...

The Political Economy of Regionalism in East Asia.(Book review)
December 1, 2008... The Political Economy of Regionalism in East Asia. By Hidetaka Yoshimatsu. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Hardcover: 213pp. The study of international relations since World War II has been shaped by three paradigms: realism,...

Singapore in the Global System: Relationship, Structure and Change.(Book review)
December 1, 2008... Singapore in the Global System: Relationship, Structure and Change. By Peter Preston. London and New York: Routledge, 2007. Hardcover: 277pp. The question--how a small state like Singapore positions itself in the global capitalist...

Asia's New Regionalism.(Book review)
December 1, 2008... Asia's New Regionalism. By Ellen L. Frost. Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner, 2008. Softcover: 293pp. Ellen Frost's book is an original and important contribution to the growing literature on Asian regionalization and regionalism. What sets...

The Three Faces of Chinese Power: Might, Money, and Minds.(Book review)
December 1, 2008... The Three Faces of Chinese Power: Might, Money, and Minds. By David M. Lampton. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. Softcover: 361pp. The 2008 Summer Olympics has been called a coming out party for a China that is well on its...