We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
To save content items to your account,
please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies.
If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account.
Find out more about saving content to .
To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected]
is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings
on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part
of your Kindle email address below.
Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations.
‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi.
‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
A burgeoning Japanese role in the Asia-Pacific region has been one of the most contentious issues to the Southeast Asian countries in recent years with its positive and negative implications. It is thus timely and significant to come to terms with Japan's "design" in the region from a historical perspective. Attributing Japan's active involvement in Southeast Asian affairs to the proclamation of the so-called Fukuda Doctrine of August 1977, this study traces the origins of Japan's political role in the region and analyses the development and effects of the very first Japanese foreign policy doctrine. As perhaps the most exclusive scrutiny on the Fukuda Doctrine as well as on Japan-ASEAN relations, this study renders a comprehensive history of Japan-Southeast Asia relations in the post-war period.
This handbook provides basic information on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), its organization and the various co-operation activities associated with it. The emphasis here is on economic co-operation. Although such information is available in many forms, it is mostly scattered in official documents and various literature on ASEAN. There is, thus, a need to provide the basic information in a handy volume, and this handbook fills that need.
The tsunami that struck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004 evoked international sympathy on a scale beyond any previous natural disaster. The international relief effort broke all records both in scale and diversity, with seven billion U.S. dollars donated from all over the world through public and private agencies for Sumatra alone. Simply as a reconstruction effort, therefore, the disbursement of those funds and the rebuilding of housing, infrastructure, and economy posed major national and international challenges. However this was not simply a reconstruction effort. Aceh at that time was a war zone, with Indonesia’s military engaged in a major operation to crush a separatist rebellion that had been simmering since 1976. Even though the funds had been donated for tsunami relief, any real reconstruction of Aceh had to consider the impact of the conflict on the well-being of the population, as well as governance and administrative capacities. This volumes serves the purpose not only of discussing some of the lessons of the Aceh reconstruction and peace processes, but also of maintaining critical links between Aceh and the international community after the initial tranches of aid expire.
A bomb attack on a hotel. A bomb in a taxi. Or a bus. Like the London 7 July 2005 bomb attacks. Or if a plot to bomb an MRT station succeeds. How would we react? Would Singaporeans stay calm? And united? Or would ethnic fault lines crack? Building networks of trust in good times is crucial. Building social resilience is important in keeping Singapore united in a crisis. That is what the Community Engagement Programme, or CEP, sets out to do. This book describes the Singapore experience in reaching out to hearts and minds. As we fortify our hearts of resilience, the CEP is a book that continues to be written.
The theme of this volume on Vietnam is 'creating a sound investment climate'. Vietnam embarked on doi moi or 'renovation' of its economy in 1986. Since then, its economy has made a dramatic turnaround, achieving a low-inflation sustained growth for most of the 1990s. However, even at the current high rates of growth, it will still take Vietnam some 15 years to reach the standard of living that Indonesia currently enjoys. Furthermore, decades of sustained growth will require higher rates of investment than in the past, as excess capacity created under central planning is being utilised. A sound investment climate is essential for the fulfilment of Vietnam's ambitions to catch up with other rapidly growing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. An understanding of how to achieve such a climate in Vietnam is essential to an assessment of the country's prospects now and into the 21st century.
Since it began in 2008, the dispute over the temple of Preah Vihear and its adjacent area has envenomed Thai-Cambodian relations. Puangthong R. Pawakapan argues that initially Thai-Cambodian cooperation on the temple had begun within the framework of Thailand's strategy to become a regional economic centre and leader. It was the first time in Southeast Asia that two formerly antagonistic states were employing cultural methods to settle a territorial dispute and turned it into a symbol of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. But the ultra-nationalist movement derailed this essay in cooperation. Instead, the temple became a symbol of hatred between the two countries. The ultra- nationalists' success has to be attributed to the support it enjoyed from various civic groups and institutions.
Musical Worlds in Yogyakarta is an ethnographic account of a vibrant Indonesian city during the turbulent early post-Soeharto years. The book examines musical performance in public contexts ranging from the street and neighbourhood through to commercial venues and state environments such as Yogyakarta's regional parliament, its military institutions, universities and the Sultan's palace. It focuses on the musical tastes and practices of street workers, artists, students and others. From street-corner jam sessions to large-scale concerts, a range of genres emerge that cohere around notions of campursari (“mixed essences”) and jalanan (“of the street”). Musical worlds addresses themes of social identity and power, counterpoising Pierre Bourdieu's theories on class, gender and nation with the author's alternative perspectives of inter-group social capital, physicality and grounded cosmopolitanism. The author argues that Yogyakarta is exemplary of how everyday people make use of music to negotiate issues of power and at the same time promote peace and intergroup appreciation in culturally diverse inner-city settings.
In the wake of Malaysia’s 13th General Election some commentators speak of a sharpening of ethnic politics — with Prime Minister Najib blaming a “Chinese tsunami” for his government’s polling setbacks; others are optimistic about the arrival of a new “non-racialized form of politics” and the emergence of “transethnic solidarity”. This book, which engages with both the race paradigm and its opponents, warns that change is likely to come slowly — but is not impossible. Malaysia’s race paradigm is a man-made ideological construct — one that has been contested in the past, and could realistically be contested in the future. In confronting the continuing challenge of globalization, Malaysians should not neglect the history of ideas — and ideology — as they search for new options.
Maiden Voyages is a fascinating, unusual study of the centrality, impact and place of sea travel on the lives of women in Eastern Indonesia. It shows how women there travel constantly by sea, to move between islands, to urban centres and even overseas. In doing so, they negotiate and cross and re-make their social boundaries. In contrast to the dominant economic approach to migration, this book uses Eastern Indonesian women's own travel accounts to show how sea voyages recreate their identities. The book is based on research of contemporary rural and semi-rural women in the East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia.This book is an original and valuable contribution to the debates on gender, subjectivity, and the local specificity. It aims to contribute to an understanding of women's mobility and spatial relations in Eastern Indonesia. It will be of interest to scholars of geography, migration, gender and microeconomics as well as of appeal to general readers.
From 2001 to 2006, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra transformed Thailand's international role from one of obscurity into a kind of regional hegemon. Thaksin's diplomatic ambitions were reflected in his myriad of grandiose foreign policy initiatives, designed to locate Thailand at the forefront of regional politics and reinstall the Thai sphere of influence over weaker neighbouring states. He abolished the traditional bending-with-the-wind foreign policy, revamped the Thai Foreign Ministry, and empowered Thai envoys through the CEO Ambassadors programme. But in this process, Thaksin was accused of exploiting foreign policy to enrich his business empire. Thaksin's reinvention of Thailand as an up-and-coming regional power was therefore tainted by conflicts of interest and the absence of ethical principles in the country's foreign policy.
"Irene Ng has written a book that gives a comprehensive portrayal of Mr Rajaratnam - one of Singapore's outstanding leaders who played a crucial part in the momentous and crisis-ridden transition to independence. This is a book about the man and his wisdom. One would fail to appreciate him until one reads this absorbing book and reflects on the acuity and breadth of his insights and his wisdom." - S. R. Nathan, President of Singapore"In the course of a 33-year career in diplomacy, I met many great leaders. Having done so, I can confidently assert that S. Rajaratnam was one of the greatest leaders I met. Sadly, few in Singapore understand how great Rajaratnam was. This well-researched comprehensive volume by Irene Ng therefore fills a real need. Both Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans will benefit a lot from reading it." - Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore "Rajaratnam is one of the founding fathers of modern Singapore. He was Singapore's first and longest serving foreign minister. He was a rebel and a revolutionary. He was an intellectual and a man of action. In this wonderful book, Irene Ng tells the story of this remarkable leader of Singapore. I found the book both enjoyable and insightful." - Tommy Koh, Ambassador-At-Large, Singapore
Singapore had been one of the nations severely affected by the 2008-09 global financial and economic crisis. The city state came under pressure through the financial, trade, and confidence channels. To counter these shocks, Singapore policymakers undertook unprecedented monetary and fiscal policy measures. They subsequently charted a revival strategy that would help the country emerge stronger after the crisis. These all-encompassing policies together with the global economic recovery in 2009 helped the city state bounce back faster and stronger than many other regional economies. This book provides an insight into the events that occurred during the crisis and Singapore's successful navigation to economic recovery."Although much has been written about the global financial crisis of 2008-09, not enough has been said about how it affected Singapore and the policy response. In this highly readable book, Sanchita Basu Das fills this gap, explaining how the crisis rippled through the Singapore economy via trade channels, the financial sector, and asset markets. But the greatest strength of this volume is its comprehensive account of the extraordinary measures Singapore put in place to deal pre-emptively with what could have been huge declines in output and employment in the face of the collapse of trade and credit flows. Singapore's multi-pronged approach, and especially the fiscal support and loan guarantees contained in the 2009 budget, must go down as one of the boldest and most creative policy responses to a crisis. It is a valuable lesson to economics students and practitioners alike. This book gives you the full story."- Vikram Khanna, Associate Editor, The Business Times"Sanchita Basu Das is to be congratulated for providing a fascinating, accessible, and forward-looking analysis of Singapore's response to the global economic crisis of 2008-09. As a highly trade-dependent economy, Singapore was hit hard by these events. But the government was nimble and quick to react. The author describes and evaluates this response, and draws out general lessons for crisis management and mitigation in small open economies. Highly recommended."- Hal Hill, H.W. Arndt Professor of Southeast Asian Economies, Australian National University."This is a comprehensive account of the impact of the global financial crisis on Singapore -- one of the most open economies in the world -- and policy responses by the government and central bank. The book identifies the need to move to a more knowledge-intensive economy as the key policy challenge for post-crisis Singapore."- Masahiro Kawai, Dean and CEO, Asian Development Bank Institute"Singapore was affected disproportionately by the global economic crisis of 2008-09. While it is currently rebounding impressively, government officials and the private sector would do well to learn from the crisis experience in devising future policies. Moreover, the Singapore experience is instructive as to how external economic shocks can be transmitted to open economies and, hence, has great relevance beyond its borders. This book by Sanchita Basu Das gives a comprehensive survey of Singapore in crisis and provides a wealth of information and insightful analysis, using clear, non-technical language. It is extremely useful contribution to scholars, policymakers, and other students of Asian economics."- Michael G. Plummer, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
In the first edition, the themes of hope, optimism, and progress of neoliberalism were examined in Asia and America. The second edition, Globalization: Power, Authority, and Legitimacy in Late Modernity, analyses the new pessimism that has descended on the globalized world. The America that was once the bastion of hope, optimism and progress is now showing clear signs of a superpower in decline. The first sign of the American decline since 1941 in Pearl Harbor was the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City on 11 September 2001. The other signs are the Vietnamization of Iraq, a nuclear stand-off with North Korea, increasing trade imbalances with China and India, a stalemate with terrorists in Afghanistan, the challenge of European protectionism, a belligerent politics in the Middle East, overt American dependence on fossil fuels, and the mushrooming of various subprime crises into an escalating global recession. This second edition incorporates the latest developments in terms of culture, wealth and terrorism around the world and provides possible solutions to salvage the American Dream.
Indonesia is experiencing an historic and dramatic shift in political and economic power from the centre to the local level. The collapse of the highly centralised Soeharto regime allowed long-repressed local aspirations to come to the fore. The new Indonesian Government then began one of the world's most radical decentralisation programmes, under which extensive powers are being devolved to the district level. In every region and province, diverse popular movements and local claimants to state power are challenging the central authorities. This book is the first comprehensive coverage on decentralisation in Indonesia. It contains contributions from leading academics and policy-makers on a wide range of topics relating to democratisation, devolution and the blossoming of local-level politics.
This volume honours, and reflects on, the life and work of the Australian Indonesianist, Charles A. Coppel. His interests -- reflected in this volume -- are broad, ranging from history, politics, legal issues, and violence against the Chinese, through to culture and religion. The chapters in the volume, contributed by scholars from Australia, Indonesia, Europe, and Singapore, also all reflect a theme, inspired by Charles Coppel's expression, 'remembering, distorting, forgetting', by which he drew attention to misrepresentations of the Chinese, seeking to locate the realities behind the myths that form the basis for the racism and xenophobia the Chinese have often experienced in Indonesia.
Among nation-states, Singapore ranks as possibly the greatest success story of the 20th century. It is a story of how a small city-state in the politically volatile region of Southeast Asia transformed itself, within a relatively short period of time, from being an economic backwater to an economic dynamo not just within Southeast Asia but the wider Asia-Pacific region. That success story has been well chronicled. What is less well known, however, is that beneath the veneer of success there are undercurrents within the economic, social, and body politic of the city-state which pose significant challenges for it in the new millennium. Those challenges are not just from within the city-state but also from without. This volume explores those multifaceted challenges, some of which are counter-intuitive to the general impression that the Singapore state projects of itself not just to its citizens but to the world at large.
This collection of essays has been prepared as a tribute to Clive S. Kessler, Professor of Sociology at the University of New South Wales for over twenty years and a member of staff of the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, and the Barnard College, Columbia University, New York. Written by colleagues and graduate students, the essays are divided into three sections: Islam, Society and Politics. They focus on Professor Kessler's analyses of Malaysia. Each essay draws on aspects of his published research, taking his insights as points of departure for new studies. Professor Kessler's ideas and observations are thus extended, complemented and updated in ways which emphasize the depth and extent of his influence on contemporary research on Malaysia.
When Megawati Soekarnoputri became the President of Indonesia in July 2001, there were strong expectations. But so far, fundamental economic and political reforms have yet to be undertaken. The deadly Bali bombings on 12 October 2002 presented a wake-up call for the Megawati government. Terrorism on an international scale had now hit home. Now, more than ever, there is greater urgency on the part of the Megawati government to tackle the myriad of political and economic problems plaguing the country. This volume features some of the major issues that faced the Megawati government even before the devastating Bali attacks. The contributors include academics, practitioners and activists, offering a diversity of views.
This book documents the trends and challenges that are taking place in the more important sectors of Malaysia. The chapters, written by specialists with an intimate knowledge of the country, cover major topics such as population trends and patterns, Islam Hadhari, Bangsa Malaysia, politics and the 2004 general election, civil service reforms, corporate governance, educational reforms, the impact of globalisation on the economy, and Malaysia's relations with Singapore. Recent developments in these areas are likely to have a profound bearing on Malaysia and its neighbours in the years ahead. The book provides readers with a greater appreciation and a deeper understanding of Malaysia, which is undergoing significant changes and challenges.
There are a number of excellent studies by eminent Myanmar economists as well as scholars from abroad covering different post-war periods and/or various aspects of development in Myanmar. What this book does is to bring them altogether, as it were, under one roof by recasting bits and pieces of their work according to the author's own understanding. In doing so, a holistic approach was adopted in order to have a well-rounded account of developments over the past fifty years or more. In addition, an attempt has also been made to present the major developments at different periods of time between 1948 and 2000 in a simple, but not over simplified, reader-friendly format so as to reach as wide an audience as possible. It is the author's ardent wish that not only students and policy-makers, but Myanmar people in all walks of life will read the book, discuss it, and work together for a better future.
