International Relations in Southeast Asia

The Struggle for Autonomy

By (author) Donald E. Weatherbee

Publication date:

25 November 2014

Length of book:

378 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442223004

This fully revised and updated edition of Donald E. Weatherbee’s widely praised text offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to international relations in contemporary Southeast Asia. The author analyzes the efforts of the Southeast Asian states to adapt collectively through the ASEAN Community-building process to the challenges of traditional intraregional security issues, the requirements of the international economy, and the political demands of nontraditional issues such as democracy, human rights, and environmental degradation. Weatherbee warns that autonomy, expressed in the claim to the ASEAN Community’s “centrality” to Asia, could be threatened by the strategic impact of China’s rise and America’s recommitment to regional strategic balance. An invaluable guide to the region, this thoughtful and lucid work will be an essential text for courses on Southeast Asia and on the international relations of the Asia-Pacific.

Chapter 1: Introduction: The What and Why of Southeast Asia
Chapter 2: The International Actors in Southeast Asia
Chapter 3: The Cold War in Southeast Asia
Chapter 4: ASEAN and Regionalism in Southeast Asia
Chapter 5: Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Southeast Asia
Chapter 6: Transnational Violence and Crime in Southeast Asia
Chapter 7: Southeast Asia in the Regional and International Economies
Chapter 8: Human Security in Southeast Asia's International Relations
Chapter 9: Environmental Issues in International Relations in Southeast Asia
Chapter 10: Conclusion: Nation-States, ASEAN, and Autonomy

The narrative is crisply written. . . . [T]he study is solid and the material is up-to-date on the issues of human rights and environment; it ends strongly with brief but important descriptions and analysis of the question of where ASEAN fits into the world international order and the issues of terrorism. . . . Highly recommended.