Converging Regions

Nele Lenze is Research Fellow and editor of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. She holds a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and Media Studies from the University of Oslo. Charlotte Schriwer is Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. She holds a PhD in History and an MA in Middle East Studies from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and an MA in Islamic Art and Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

• Introduction, Charlotte Schriwer; Part I Finance and Investment; Chapter 1 China's Economic Impact on Egypt; Chapter 2 From the Middle East to the Far West: What Can Chinese Overseas Investments Tell Us About Law and Development and Global Regulatory Regimes?, Weitseng Chen; Part II Resources, Territory, Hierarchy; Chapter 3 Japan's Pursuit of Gulf Energy Resources: Between US Dependence and Asian Competition, Yukiko Miyagi; Chapter 4 Geopolitical Shifts: Asia Rising, America Declining in the Middle East?, Michael C. Hudson; Chapter 5 No Spring for Migrant Workers: Split Labour Market Undermines Lebanon's Fragile Identity, Elizabeth Picard; Part III Nation-States, Sovereignty, and International Networks; Chapter 6 Preventing the Emergence of a 'Nested Security Dilemma' in the Asian Maritime Domain: The Case of the Sino-Indian Relationship, Chietigj Bajpaee; Chapter 7 The Gulf Monarchies and Pacific Asia: Towards Interdependency?, Christopher M. Davidson; Chapter 8 The Indian Ocean: An Evlolving U.S. Policy Agenda, Ellen Laipson; Part IV Redrawing the Maps of the Future; Chapter 9 New Connections Across Old Spaces: From Regional Worlds to World Regions, R. Bin Wong; Chapter 10 Connecting Oceans and Multicultural Navies: A Historian's View on Challenges and Potential for Indian Ocean'”Western Pacific Interaction, Barbara Watson Andaya;

’This useful and highly original collection of essays surveys the current state, and envisages the future growth, of economic and political interactions between East and South-East Asia and the Middle East. These regions seem far apart, but they have been closely connected for many centuries through long distance trade and migration, and through the spread of Islam. The topics covered will be of interest to students of area studies, political science and international relations.’ Peter Sluglett, National University of Singapore, Singapore ’This important volume takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine the implications of the rise of Asia in general, and China and the energy wealthy countries of the Gulf in particular, and their implications for US and regional strategic realignments and the ways in which recent major trade initiatives also reflect historic regional trading networks.’ Jacqueline Armijo, Qatar University, Qatar