ISEAS – förlag

There is a growing policy trend that in addressing climate change, various trade measures must be implemented to enhance the sustainable practices of global stakeholders.As a response to level up the playing field of global trade partners in enhancing sustainability, the EU recently introduced the European Union (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which will impose a carbon price on certain imports, namely, electricity, aluminium, cement, iron and steel, and fertilizer, to the EU.The EU CBAM may, however, cause trade disputes among World Trade Organization (WTO) members.EU and ASEAN trade relations are currently on an upswing trajectory, and there are therefore some risks involved in implementing the EU CBAM in the ASEAN region.At the same time, despite the perceived adverse effects, there is room for improvement in communicating EU CBAM implementation in ASEAN.The EU should introduce more calibrated approaches to implementing the EU CBAM in ASEAN, particularly considering the political and strategic risks, economic development and capacity, and climate ambitions of individual ASEAN countries.

This work contains the text of the Singapore Lecture delivered by Gerhard Schroder on 13 May 2003.

The early years of the twenty-first century have been characterized by a sense of widespread anxiety and fear because of the violent activities of groups of terrorists who claim they act in the name of Islam. Their acts of terrorism, viewed by a majority in the Muslim world as crimes which must be subject to the law, are in tragic contrast to the efforts of many Muslim intellectuals who have been working for the past several decades to find common ground between people of all faiths based on the universality of humankind. This book aims to bring to the attention of non-Muslims, in particular, the range of views which Muslims in the Middle East and in South and Southeast Asia hold on six topics of importance to life in the twenty-first century. The topics have been addressed from the internal Muslim point of view to provide readers with a sense of the main debates within Islam on each of the issues. The topics addressed are: the new world order; globalization and modernity; banking and finance; the nation-state; the position of women; and law and knowledge. The chapters have been written by Muslims and non-Muslims, each of whom is an expert on the area about which they write. The chapters are presented in pairs which offer Middle Eastern (and in one case South Asian) points of view which are matched by Southeast Asian perspectives on each of the six topics. While the media is quick to report on the more violent expressions of Islam, including terrorism, the vigorous debates, which now characterize the intellectual discourse in Muslim communities, are rarely if ever reported. This book not only describes and analyses those debates but also reflects the views of many Muslims across the world, emphasizing the connections and contrasts between the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

What is being done to counter threats of maritime terrorism and how effective are the safeguards? The author presents evidence that Al-Qaeda aims to disrupt the seaborne trading system, the backbone of the modern global economy, and would use a crude nuclear explosive device or a radiological bomb to do so if it could get its hands on either, and position it to go off in a key port-city, shipping strait, or waterway. Improving maritime security is especially important for the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand, and for China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and other economies in East Asia that have extensive seaborne trade. It is doubly vital for the world's largest container transshipment hubs cum seaports like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Rotterdam. This book discusses the major threats to seaborne trade and its land links in the global supply chain, their potential impact, the new security measures in place or pending for ships, ports and cargo containers, and recommendations for preventing or handling a catastrophic terrorist attack designed to disrupt world trade.

The book examines ASEAN's mechanisms in managing challenges and threats to regional security. Its extensive analyses of the ASEAN story of managing regional security cover the different phases of ASEAN's development as a regional organization and explore the perceptible changes that have occurred in regional mechanisms of conflict management. The book also examines the roles of relevant actors beyond the states of ASEAN and the key interactions that have evolved over time, which have been instrumental in moving regional mechanisms beyond the ASEAN way. The book argues that the ASEAN way has not been impervious to change. As the association finds its way through periods of crises and continues to confront the many challenges ahead, ASEAN and its mechanisms are already being transformed beyond the narrow confines of the modalities associated with the ASEAN way. The changes in the political and security landscape of the region, as well as the democratic transitions taking place in some member states, have set the stage for a much more dynamic set of regional actors and processes that bring into question the kind of regionalism that is now taking place in the region. This book therefore attempts to capture these evolving dynamics and examines the way regionalism is changing in Southeast Asia.

China burst onto the world stage in the mid-1980s and in the past decade has been transformed into a giant magnet for FDI, attracting capital from all over the world. Everyone wants a piece of the China action. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the region of Southeast Asia, tucked as it is geographically beneath China's southern flank. Much of the FDI inflow into China has been at the expense of Southeast Asia. But this has been offset by new opportunities created through China's rapid economic expansion. This book provides an insightful and objective analysis on how to be successful in China, especially for Singapore businessmen. The authors have eloquently distilled several important lessons that have become apparent for business success in China.

Population mobility increases with economic development and globalization. The migration of people affects countries in many ways -- socially, economically and politically. However, there are fundamental tensions in efforts to manage international migration in a globalizing world. On the one hand, business is transnational as it necessitates the unrestricted flow of people internationally. On the other hand, politics is still national. In an integrated world economy, trade, flow of capital, flow of labour, flow of raw materials and technology are inter-related. This study therefore examines international migration in the context of an integrated world economy. Specifically, it looks at the history of migration in modern Southeast Asia; investments, remittances and welfare; the vulnerability of workers; national migration policies; and the problem of irregular migrants.

The relations between ASEAN and China occupy a unique and important position in the foreign relations of the Asia-Pacific region. China and Southeast Asia's political, strategic and economic importance in the realm of international relations has been transformed by the regions unprecedented economic growth, unexpected financial crisis, and turbulent political changes. This volume investigates the impacts of global changes and regional challenges confronting the contemporary developments of China-ASEAN relations. Topics include: changes in strategic perceptions, the economic challenges and legal considerations of the China-ASEAN FTA in the context of a multilateral trading system, the role of East Asia, non-traditional security issues, prospects of regionalism, China-Taiwan-ASEAN triangular relations, and Malaysias and Singapores diplomatic engagement with China. It offers authoritative arguments and a rich collection of ideas for policy-makers and interested readers to mull over.

Seeking to look beyond the day-to-day headlines and judgemental comments on developments in Myanmar, this volume gets under the surface to look at the underlying issues which the country faces regardless of its political future. After looking back to essay the historical forces and human agencies which have shaped contemporary Myanmar, the volume addresses health care and public policy provision with suggestions as to what potential roles the international community might have in assisting Myanmar's future socio-economic development. Myanmar: Beyond Politics to Societal Imperatives broadens the debate on this state of more than 50 million people beyond the usual narrow didactics about democratization and economic policies.

Southeast Asian Affairs, of which there are now thirty-one in the series, is an annual review of significant developments and trends in the region. Though the emphasis is on ASEAN countries, developments in the broader Asia-Pacific region are not ignored. Readable and easily understood analyses are offered of major political, economic, social, and strategic developments within Southeast Asia. The contributions can be divided into two broad categories. There are those which provide an analysis of major developments during 2004 in individual Southeast Asian countries and in the region generally. Then there are the theme articles of a more specialized nature which deal with topical problems of concern. The volume contains twenty-one articles dealing with such major themes as international conflict and cooperation, political stability, and economic growth and development.

Written by a major public figure and player in the events, this important book documents and evaluates a turning point in the political and economic history of Southeast Asia's most populous country, Indonesia. Controversial issues such as the infamous bank closures are analysed, and there is a wealth of detail on a range of topics during this turbulent period in Indonesia's recent history. This book contains a vast amount of original and valuable material, including the workings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at a critical juncture. It also details the various domestic responses to the crisis against the swift and ferocious behaviour of the international markets. Part autobiography and part treatise, this volume candidly examines the Bank Indonesia crisis and has important lessons and insights into the way the economy was managed in the last years of the Soeharto era. A must-read for economists, government analysts and scholars of Southeast Asia and Indonesia in particular which is destined to itself generate much more debate about the events of that period.

"Realpolitik Ideology" represents path-breaking research on the Indonesian military (TNI) going beyond traditional scholarship on the TNI's dual function or dwifungsi which has been one of the dominating fields of analysis in Indonesian studies since the 1970s. Addressed to political scientists, sociologists, historians, anthropologists and defence practitioners, this book interprets security policy in terms of its social roots asserting that the realpolitik behaviour of the TNI has strong "socio-cultural" undertones, which in turn shape the development of military doctrine. The argument made in the book is that only through a better understanding of the doctrines that reinforced the military's significant presence in Indonesian affairs and their subsequent restructuring can Indonesia's policy-makers attempt meaningful reform of the TNI.

The book addresses questions such as, how should historians treat the earlier pasts of each country and the nationalism that guided the nation-building tasks? Where did political culture come in, especially when dealing with modern challenges of class, secularism and ethnicity? What part do external or regional pressures play when the nations are still being built? The authors have thought deeply about the issues of writing nation-building histories and have tried to put them not only in the perspective of Southeast Asian developments of the past five decades, but also the larger areas of historiography today.

Thailand's currency crisis triggered off a national and regional economic meltdown in the closing years of the twentieth century. One lesson was that monetary and policy institutions need to be strengthened and overall good corporate governance practiced to prevent another destabilizing crisis. Written by Thai economists, this book gives a progress report on good corporate governance practices in listed non-financial companies, financial institutions, state-owned enterprises, and non-listed companies in Thailand. It addresses the following issues: What went wrong in terms of corporate governance practices before the financial crisis? What further corporate governance reforms are required? Who are the significant players actively promoting good corporate governance? What are the guidelines and regulations on corporate governance? What are the achievements and remaining agenda? How do companies go about good corporate governance practices? Are the practices real? And what are challenges and policy issues going forward?

The competitive edge and creativity which globalization demands of corporations and states alike requires fresh management methods. There is growing awareness that unlocking human potential is a key to sustaining growth. However, hierarchical management structures, which reward adherence to outdated thinking and hamper creative and energetic citizens and employees, are still widespread in government and private sectors in Southeast Asia. The articles on Human Resource Development (HRD) in this volume span and link the concerns of states and business. The first section contains advice on HRD for government leaders and policymakers. The second considers HRD in the corporate sector, with analysis and advice on strategic HRD, developing competence, and corporate case studies. ""HRD for Developing States and Companies"" is intended to be an inspirational and practical guide for change and will be useful for statesmen, policymakers, businesspersons and students of management.

The Enterprise for ASEAN Initiative (EAI), as envisaged in 2002 by the Bush administration, is set to be a landmark in U.S.-ASEAN trade relations. This study provides a detailed background and a map to the unfolding negotiations. It includes: a detailed review of the U.S.-ASEAN economic relationship, beginning with coverage of the U.S.-ASEAN trade in goods globally and ending with an in-depth analysis of the changing structure of bilateral trade in services; reviews of theories of FTAs and empirical testing of the economics of the EAI itself. Using the USSFTA as a reference point, this study identifies and highlights the special bilateral issues that will likely be involved in the ongoing EAI FTA negotiations. The EAI is considered in the context of a changing global, Asia-Pacific and sub-regional environment. Finally, the book makes a case for the EAI, focusing on policy motivations that is, as a defensive strategy for ASEAN and a proactive commercial policy approach for the United States - as well as a strategic imperative for both. ""The Economics of the Enterprise for ASEAN Initiative"" is intended to inform governmental and non-governmental policy-makers, trade analysts, economists and researchers who need to have a comprehensive guide to this major trade initiative.

This volume examines different ethnic configurations and conflict avoidance and resolution in five different Southeast Asian countries. Tin Maung Maung Than traces the history and impossibility of the current Myanmar regime's quest to integrate the various ethnic groups in the border regions while insisting on a unitary state with all real power kept to themselves. Rizal Sukma divides conflicts in Indonesia into horizontal (Kalimantan, Maluku and Sulawesi) and vertical ones (the Madurese versus the Dayaks) and assesses the prospects for peaceful resolution if the country's fledgling democracy does not properly address them. Miriam Coronel Ferrer examines the conflicts in Mindanao against the apparent lack of willingness of Manila to come to terms with the root causes as well as the infusion of arms and ideology from outside. Zakaria Haji Ahmad and Suzaina Kadir analyse Malaysia's relatively successful handling of an ethnically divided society, which has permitted impressive stability since 1969. Chayan Vaddhanaphuti focuses on the non-Thai border peoples of northern Thailand, noting the legacy of the government's policy of selective citizenship. ""Ethnic Conflicts in Southeast Asia"" will be an invaluable resource for scholars of contemporary Southeast Asia as well as in other regions, policy-makers and others, who wish to assess and develop strategies to prevent, modulate, and resolve such conflicts.

The past decade has witnessed rapid development in ASEAN-China relations. Both sides now have more in common than before, though differences still exist. ASEAN and China have established a promising strategic partnership ensuring peace, stability, co-operation as well as prosperity for the region. New challenges will, however, continue to emerge to test the resolve of the partnership. This book examines some of the areas of convergence and divergence and the possible trajectories of the development of ASEAN-China relations.

In this book, the author marshals evidence to support an arena-specific approach towards viewing Vietnam's state-society relations. In practice, the Vietnamese party-state's relations with society vary from the hard and uncompromising state, with the bureaucracy getting its way, to society's ability to negotiate the state's boundaries and regimes to make them less harsh. Any analysis of Vietnam's state-society relations needs to recognize and demonstrate both elements of dominance and accommodation, as well as specify the context in which either or both are seen. Alone, neither is adequate. In particular, the idea of the ""state"" needs to be disaggregated because ""state"" is not a singular actor that is coherent or uniform through time and space. To demonstrate how state-disaggregation can make our view more nuanced, this book analyses state-society interaction at the ward level of Hanoi, an urban local authority.

There is a growing dialogue between India and Southeast Asia. From a marginal relationship during the Cold War days to the participation of India at the East Asia summit in December 2005 has been a long journey. In the context of the geopolitical situation in the Asia-Pacific in the post-September 11 period, the security dimension between India and Southeast Asia cannot be overemphasized. With the continued U.S. preponderance in the region and Chinas phenomenal rise, the countries of Southeast Asia and India have an opportunity to evolve a co-operative relationship not only with one another, but also with the major powers of the region. This book examines the areas of comprehensive security and the growing understanding between India and Southeast Asia where there is less divergence and greater convergence. The author argues that India-Southeast Asia security convergence is not and should not be aimed at any particular country. On an optimistic note he concludes that such convergence will contribute to creating harmony among the major powers of Asia to make the twenty-first century the ""Asian century"".

With the rise of India and China, the rest of Asia is feeling the great impact of socio-economic changes and challenges created by these twin engines of progress and cooperation. Currently, Russia's interaction with ASEAN is limited to dialogue between both parties, and trade between both sides is categorized by Russian arms sales and ASEAN raw materials. This book sets out to help explain these anomalies and puzzles, by examining the state of relations between Russia and selected individual ASEAN countries. Several interesting ideas are offered, such as a proposal for a Russia-ASEAN FTA; building tourism/business bridges through budget airlines; and proposals to strengthen and energize the ASEAN-Russia dialogue.

In late 2004, Myanmar's best known general and long-serving leader of the military regime, General Khin Nyunt, was suddenly dismissed. This shock development, perpetrated by a regime that has defied all predictions of its demise and disintegration, generated widespread uncertainty both inside and outside the country. Official reassurances about continuing the 2003 ""Road Map"" process left many questions about the path ahead unanswered. Would political dialogue with opposition groups be resumed? How would increasingly restive ethnic groups respond? Would nascent civil society groups be able to play a role in national reconciliation? How would the new leadership deal with the flagging economy? What are the prospects for the large but under-funded and highly regulated agricultural sector? This book addresses these issues.

In an era, when Islam ostensibly lies at the heart of a volatile nexus of a global campaign of/war on terrorism, simplistic notions and dangerous misunderstandings about the cultures and nature of Southeast Asian Islam, in all its variants, are used to inform and justify policies. This collection of contemporary primary source material is designed to promote a deeper understanding of Muslim attitudes to major political, legal, religious and social issues in Southeast Asia through quotations from documents on Islamic law; state and governance; jihad; society, women and the family; personal expressions of faith; and sources of external influence. The sourcebook looks not only at the ideological and doctrinal content, but also at the motivations and psychology underlying different interpretations and viewpoints. The book will enable government officials, academics, security analysts, journalists and general readers to understand the ideologies, motivations, language and objectives of the main Muslim groups in Southeast Asia.

The central focus of the book is the state's efforts to industrialize Myanmar, first through direct intervention and planning under a socialist economic framework as interpreted by the state leaders (1948-88) and lately (1989 onwards) through state-managed outward orientation. In examining developments during the 1948-88 period, this study situates the Myanmar case within the developmental state paradigm, whereby a critique of the investment-driven-pathway of Myanmar's political economy under socialist ethos is provided. On the other hand, in examining the post-1988 period, the focus is on drawing attention to continuities regarding the states crucial role, despite attempts to introduce market-conforming policies and practices, in economic development in general and industrialization in particular.