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(16 Feb, 2012)


Assoc Professor Ralf Emmers comments on the East Asia Summit (featured on Swiss National TV and Radio)

(5 Dec, 2011)





RSIS-ADBI Conference on The Evolving Global Economic Architecture, 26-27 Mar 2012, Location: Traders Hotel, Singapore


Ian Storey, Ralf Emmers and Daljit Singh (eds), The Five Power Defence Arrangements at Forty, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2011

Bhubindar Singh and Tan See Seng, From Boots to Brogues: The Rise of Defence Diplomacy in Southeast Asia. RSIS Monograph No. 21, 2011

Pradumna B Rana (Editor), Renaissance of Asia: Evolving Economic Relations between South Asia and East Asia, UK: Imperial College Press, 2012

 
 

THE East Asia Summit in Bali on 19 November 2011 was a game changer for regional cooperation in more ways than one. It brought together all the major powers in the Asia-Pacific region, including for the first time, Russia and America. Their presence has balanced the Asian giants, China and India, if not actually overshadowing them.

 

American leaders have highlighted the United States as a Pacific power with interests in the East Asia region. This posture has given a security orientation to U.S. participation in the EAS, raising concerns that it could rekindle big power rivalry in a new Great Game in East Asia. Asian countries, however, have a more nuanced perspective of the emerging regional architecture.

 

ASEAN’s desire to engage outside powers peacefully is fundamental to its original development of an Asian regional architecture. United in their belief that the inclusion of the United States and Russia would enhance the value, weight and influence of the ASEAN Plus bloc, ASEAN member states have over the years persisted with incremental steps towards regional cooperation and integration. At the Bali Summit, ASEAN reaffirmed its commitment to build an ASEAN Community that would undertake global-level cooperation based on its three pillars of economic, political-security and socio-cultural cooperation.