New Challenges for ASEAN examines some of the most important policy issues confronting Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) governments. These include the degradation of the maritime and urban environments, new strains on inter-ethnic relations, domestic and international pressures to ensure the protection of human rights, growing barriers to trade with the outside world, and security concerns arising from a changing regional balance of power. The responses of the ASEAN governments to these challenges, at domestic, regional and international levels, are critically examined by a group of experts with longstanding interest in Southeast Asian affairs.
The ASEAN-India economic integration has made substantial progress in recent years. India’s engagements with Southeast and East Asia have received new momentum under the Act East Policy (AEP). In 2017, ASEAN and India will be celebrating 25 years of their dialogue relations. The relationship is set to deepen in coming days as ASEAN and India step up their collaboration across a range of economic and strategic issues, including trade and connectivity, culture, people-to-people links, trans-national terrorism, and maritime security. However, both of them have been facing several challenges which call for concerted efforts by ASEAN and India. With ASEAN and India working towards establishing a Comprehensive Free Trade Area through Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, their cooperation will be key in promoting economic stability, competitiveness, growth and integration in the region. This book is a timely initiative to review the past and suggest the ways to further strengthen the economic partnership. It primarily deals with the economic integration issues between ASEAN and India, and assesses policy priorities, effectiveness, implementation imperatives and challenges. Each chapter in this book tries to capture essential features of the crosscutting issues and attempts to draw some policy implications. It will be a valuable reference for policymakers, academics and practitioners. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
The first 50 years of ASEAN integration has brought peace and prosperity to the Southeast Asian region, while the next 50 will undoubtedly be fraught with unprecedented challenges. Today ASEAN not only has to contend with its own internal challenges arising from the highly diverse political, economic and socio-cultural systems of its member countries, it also has to deal with external factors which include shifts in geostrategic balance, fraying global consensus on free trade, populism and xenophobia, climate change, digital revolutions and cybercrimes. Set against the above background, this edited collection considers some of the contemporary issues and challenges faced by ASEAN in its journey towards more cohesive and dynamic regional integration. Among the topics explored are ASEAN’s evolving partnerships with its key strategic partners including China and the United States on economic policies and strategies, educational systems and frameworks, migration and environmental threats.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was reported in China in December 2019, and later spread to other parts of the world. Countries in Southeast Asia were some of the first nations affected by the pandemic due to their geographical proximities and trade relations with China. In January 2020, the virus spread to some countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The number of confirmed cases kept increasing within ASEAN and other countries of the world. Consequently, countries in ASEAN introduced preventive and containment measures to cope with the pandemic, which include quarantines, lockdowns, restrictions of movements and large gatherings, as well as school and business closures.Beyond the efforts of preventing and containing the spread of the virus, ASEAN's most significant challenges are the social and economic crisis of historic proportions that are beginning to unfold. COVID-19 pandemic has brought interruptions in all sectors of ASEAN economies. It is, therefore, imperative to assess the extent to which the pandemic has impacted the social and economic aspects of the region. This book intends to highlight the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in ASEAN and suggest ways on how to mitigate them. It covers how the shocks from COVID-19 have impacted production, supply chains, demand, commodity prices, consumer behaviour, financial markets, employment, services, transportation and community, and the various policies that ASEAN authorities should put in place to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.
This volume consists of six substantive contributions covering a range of economic and political/security concerns including AFTA and intra-regional trade liberalization; foreign direct investment in Southeast Asia; EU-ASEAN relationships, ASEAN and the security of Southeast Asia, and ASEAN in the 21st century.
Southeast Asia's interactions with China have tremendously transformed and prospered in the recent decades, with China becoming ever more present on Southeast Asian soil in recent history, touching all dimensions: economic, political, social, and cultural. The current ASEAN-China dynamics are remarkably different from the past, bearing both excitement and caution for watchers. In this context, the advent of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has added a new perspective to the nature of China's rise in ASEAN. As the various BRI projects continue to unfold in ASEAN countries, public concerns about the impact of these projects are on the rise.However, there has not been enough extensive study on this issue. This edited book contributes towards bridging the knowledge gap by facilitating experts from ASEAN, China, and beyond, to discuss, reflect, debate the ground realities of BRI based on the local governments' and local people's experiences and narratives. The chapters in this volume address various dimensions of the BRI, provide unique perspectives, empirical evidence, and updated information on the overall progress of BRI in ASEAN.
This book presents a varied and multi-dimensional view of challenges of governance in Southeast Asia and ASEAN through the variety of disciplines and nationalities involved. In light of 50 years of regional collaboration and integration as the member states of ASEAN seek to chart out a future path for the region, this book is dedicated to showcasing different challenges to governance that occur due to internal and external pressures for the various member states. The editors are particularly interested in the multi-level governance challenges on issues of democracy, equity, and sustainability, the adaptation of policies and norms to fit an ASEAN way, and the changing roles of civil society and citizens in this process of seeking a common identity and voice. The book is divided into four sections. The first section introduces the fundamental political institutional dynamics that are in play within the region and the interplay between regional forces and national norms. The second section tackles the economic and legal discourses that various member states face in relation to external and internal pressures related to international and regional trade and industry. The third section focuses on issues of sustainability and equity resulting from the vast socio-spatial differences in the varied cities and regions of member states. In the final section, the authors discuss dilemmas resulting from economic growth in exploitative industries and the impact that has on the local and regional community through the lenses of inclusivity and justice. Written by a diverse collection of policy makers, researchers, educators and activists from the regions discussed, this book provides an authoritative first-hand analysis of key challenges to governance in Southeast Asia and ASEAN. As such, this volume is an excellent resource for academics, advanced masters and PhD candidates interested in the region, and major Southeast Asian research institutes and centers as well as policy makers and influencers at both national and regional levels within the region.
As Southeast Asia sheds its colonial vest, its development and transformation into young nation-states pick up momentum as globalization and technology become the backdrop of the new millennium. Some of the most crucial issues confronting Southeast Asia today are addressed in this volume as ASEAN takes stock of its achievements after three decades and recaptures its vision for the new millennium. The post colonial era in the region signaled a reconceptualization of geographical space as Southeast Asian countries established themselves territorially and harnessed their energies to work collectively in the new global equation. This led to formation of organizations, such as ASEAN, AFTA and the economic growth triangles, which represent a clear Southeast Asian voice internationally. Paradoxically, development in Southeast Asia brings new challenges as globalization and new economic trends lead to intensive intra-regional population movements, the rise of megacities, the search to resolve
Southeast Asian states within ASEAN agree that security relations with the great powers are best achieved by enmeshing the latter in ASEAN procedures. The primary goal of ASEAN is that China, Japan, the United States, and India commit to maintaining Southeast Asia's autonomy, integrity, and prosperity. ASEAN is less successful in resolving conflicts internal to the region including human rights in Burma, transnational terrorism, environmental concerns, human trafficking, and illegal arms trade. Sovereignty protection frequently trumps cooperation on these issues.
