Preface

Summary

An unspoken but widely acknowledged view about regionalism suggests that it is better to have regionalized and faltered than never to have regionalized at all! Taking this as its point of departure, this study provides a comparative sketch of regional cooperation in South and Southeast Asia in the light of various political, economic and social developments in the two regions. Since regionalism is both a pervasive and amorphous phenomenon, a straightforward account of its similarities and differences cannot be easily set down. But the broad patterns of behaviour of the regional actors who gather under a regional roof can be captured. This study regards regionalism both as a formal entity and a process and seeks to explain the dynamics of regional cooperation from this intertwined perspective.

Regionalism represents the wisdom of hanging together howsoever difficult that may be for states within a given geographical space. The different sides of their existence are played out within a regional context since their conflicts and confabulations are mostly with their immediate neighbours. Region is therefore both a threat and an opportunity. Increasingly, states are convinced that unless they relate well to their neighbourhood they are unlikely to make an impact in the wider world. There is also recognition that a regional platform can be extremely useful in keeping at bay the undesirable elements of a rapidly globalizing world. But cognizance does not automatically ensure appropriate behaviour and therefore we find that some regional experiences have fallen far short of expectations. Although the vehicle has not been abandoned, it is not confidently striding ahead either. Such situations call for introspection and course correction. Learning from the experience of others can yield some benefits in this respect and therefore comparing notes may not be such a bad idea. To compare is not only understand but to improve and avoid the avoidable. In the following pages, an attempt has been made to highlight the highs and lows of regional experiences mainly in South and Southeast Asia interspersed with references to the European Union (EU) where relevant.