Institutionalizing East Asia

Alice D. Ba is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Delaware.Cheng-Chwee Kuik is Associate Professor in the Strategic Studies and International Relations Program at the National University of Malaysia (UKM).Sueo Sudo is Professor at the Department of Policy Studies, Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan.

• Part 1: Evolution of Inter-state Cooperation 1. Institutionalization of Southeast Asian: ASEAN and ASEAN Centrality Alice D. Ba 2. The Institutionalization of ‘East Asian’ Regionalism: The Critical Cases of ASEAN Plus Three amd East Asia Summit Md Nasrudin Md Akhir and Sueo Sudo Part 2: Domains of East Asian Cooperation 3. Institutionalization of Economic Cooperation in East Asia Sueo Sudo and Tham Siew Yean 4. Institutionalization of Security Cooperation in East Asia Kuik Cheng-Chwee 5. Institutionalization of Disaster Management in Southeast Asia Tavida Kamolvej 6. ASEAN's (Non-) Role in Managing Ehtnic Conflicts in Southeast Asia: Obstacles to Institutionalization Chanintira na Thalang and Pinn Siraprapasiri Part 3: Levels of Cooperation 7. Institutionalization of Sub-Regional Cooperation: The Case of the Greater Mekong Sub-region Nguyen Quoc Viet 8. Institutionalization of Inter-Regional Cooperation: The Case of ASEM and FEALAC Yulius P. Hermawan 9. Conclusion: Themes and Prospects Alice D. Ba, Kuik Cheng-Chwee and Sueo Sudo

Empirically rich, conceptually sophisticated though not theoretically obsessed, an impressive and well-integrated collection of essays on the dynamics of multilateral institutions in Eastern Asia. The authors are all of the region and present a distinctive account of institutionalization as an evolving social structure that produces rules and influences state behaviour but that does not depend upon legalistic or contractual arrangements. Positive about the accomplishments, realistic about the limitations, guardedly optimistic about the prospects, the volume may not silence the naysayers who dismiss ASEAN-inflected multilateralism. But it will substantially boost the quality of a debate that is of academic importance and more. Paul Evans, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia