Regional Integration in East Asia and Europe: Convergence or Divergence?

Regional organizations in Europe and East Asia are currently grappling with a striking number of essentially similar challenges. The long-term future, role and impact of organizations such as the EU and ASEAN may depend heavily on how well or badly they deal with complex and conflict-laden issues in the next few years. This volume analyzes the historical development, current state and prospective future evolution of political integration in these two regions. The authors identify key variables that account for the contrasting political integration levels, demonstrating and explaining why the rhythm or pace of integration in both regions has varied. With contributions from both Asian and European scholars on each topic, the book explores the following issues: The changing international economic and geopolitical context of regional integration since the end of the Cold War. Monetary cooperation and integration. Institutional reform or 'deepening' of the regionalorganizations. Issues of enlargement, i.e. identity, distributional equity, the distribution of power and effectiveness or decision-making efficiency. Regional and international security crises. This volume will be of significant interest to students and scholars of IPE, international relations, European studies and Asian studies.