Asia Pacific Region

Populism in Comparative Focus: Latin America and the Asia-Pacific

by Benjamin Moffitt

To be presented at the Latin American Studies Congress, San Francisco, 24-26 May 2012. Draft only. Do not cite without permission.

The study of populism has long suffered from a kind of academic ‘ghettoization’, whereby analyses of Latin American... more The study of populism has long suffered from a kind of academic ‘ghettoization’, whereby analyses of Latin American populism and European populism have often remained isolated, each building up their own distinct conceptual approaches. However, recent advancements in the field have sprung from tearing down these walls and bringing Latin American and European populisms in comparative focus with one another. The result has been extremely beneficial, leading to broader understandings as to how populism varies in different contexts, as well as sharpening our broader theoretical understanding of the topic. While this approach is to be applauded, it is only the beginning of what needs to be done if the theory of populism is to be continually refined. Further cross-regional analyses are required.

One region that has remained particularly under-analysed when it comes to populism is the Asia-Pacific. In order to correct this, this paper will seek to compare populism in this region with Latin American populism. It will ask what similarities, if any, link Latin American populists like Hugo Chávez or Evo Morales with populists like Thaksin Shinawatra in Thailand or Pauline Hanson in Australia? How have they constructed ‘the people’ in their different contexts? Have they used similar tactics in their attempts to hold onto political power? And what does this reflect about the more general relationship between populism and democracy? In doing so, this paper will seek to overcome the literature’s ‘Atlantic bias’, and continue the important process of broadening the scope of cross-regional analyses of populism.

Asian Integration - Scope and Limits

by Reuben Wong

In ISPI Analysis no.14, Milan: Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI), 2010.

"East Asia" shows signs of integrating into a more coherent economic area, and some optimistic observers... more "East Asia" shows signs of integrating into a more coherent economic area, and some optimistic observers even envisage a political unit in the making. This paper argues that integration in Asia is necessarily limited because it is essentially a series of overlapping state-directed initiatives without a clear overarching vision, and with low civil society participation. There are paradoxes - two internal and one external – in the current integration process(es) in Asia. First, these initiatives and activities are a response to economic imperatives for more ease (or rather, lower barriers to) trans-border flows of trade, investment, production and finance; they have achieved very little in promoting regional consciousness and identity. Second, there are no concrete commitments to resolving longstanding inter-state (much less intra-state) conflicts, and no shared visions of what an integrated Asia would look like. Third (and this is the external contradiction), there is a problem grappling with the place and role of the United States- how should the US be included? If it is, can the US be counted on as a full-fledged member of the region? These paradoxes will be examined in turn.

Japanese-Jewish Relations: Meiji to the End of the Second World War

by J. Holder Bennett

"Facilitating Sustainable Change" Solomon Islands Youth Project - A Concept Paper

by alexis stergakis

Alexis Stergakis Co - Authored with Ikarini Wulundari, Rebecca Smith, Azlan Petra, Jacqueline Lim

A concept paper sets forth to shape a project to be re-engage with the Temotu region as a starting point for... more A concept paper sets forth to shape a project to be re-engage with the Temotu region as a starting point for addressing assumed key issues around youth and sustainable agriculture. We aim to facilitate discussions with community groups, which are targeted towards the people of Temotu working together to find solutions for the issues in their own region.

This projects overarching objective is to provide a forum for community members to practice community mobilisation and facilitation of their own discussions through the rhetoric of agricultural sustainability.

"Hiroshima Sublime: Trauma, Japan, and the US Asia/Pacific Imaginary": DRAFT

by Rob Wilson

The American Asiatic Association and the Imperialist Imaginary of the American Pacific

by John R. Eperjesi

Fantasy island: oceanic imaginings in Paul Yoon's Once the Shore

by John R. Eperjesi

Urdaneta and the health cargo of the Tornaviaje

by Xabier Armendariz

Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage, 2011.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the food cargo of Urdaneta’s Tornaviaje and it’s direct
consequences over the... more The aim of this paper is to analyze the food cargo of Urdaneta’s Tornaviaje and it’s direct
consequences over the health of his sailors. The paper will focus on health issues on board,
specially in view of the unknown route that they would follow to go back to the Americas. We will
focus on how Urdaneta planned to overcome problems related to prolonged stays at sea,
specially health problems due to lack of fresh food. Through contemporary accounts and
diaries, we know that Urdaneta understood the necessity of having fresh fruits on board, and
took action to ensure the safety of his crew by introducing local fruits from the Philippines such
as coconuts. His efforts were successful, a

Asya Pasifik Bölgesi'ndeki Güç Mücadelesinde Rus Etkisi

by Mazhar Yasin Tüylüoğlu

Review: Johan Galtung, 2005. Pax Pacifica: Terrorism, the Pacific Hemisphere, Globalisation and Peace Studies. London: Pluto Press.

by Jonas Hagmann

Published in: Journal of East Asian Studies, 2008

This book abounds in unsettling analyses, personal conviction, and practical recommendations for peace promotion. As... more This book abounds in unsettling analyses, personal conviction, and practical recommendations for peace promotion. As such it not only joins much of Johan Galtung’s well-known lifework - it also defies any easy summary. Its object of study is peace in the Pacific region. Contrary to what the title suggests, the book is better understood as a stocktaking effort of peace and conflict dynamics in this particular geographical area, as terrorism and globalization are not actually being addressed. Overall, the book shows in detail how historical grievances emerged and how they are being perpetuated in Pacific historiographies. As an accomplished stock-taking effort dedicated to the impact of grievances on international conflict relations, the book is a worthwhile contribution to regional Pacific studies in general, but also to security studies and peace research more widely. Yet, readers will inevitably note a set of deeper structural and conceptual problems that affect the book’s overall contribution. One such problem is the book’s haphazard organization; another weakness is the manuscript’s nebulous scholarly basis.

Can Australia save the world? The limits and possibilities of middle power diplomacy

by Mark Beeson

Australian Journal of International Affairs, 65 (5), 2011, pp 562-76

Australian policymakers have always harboured a desire to ‘punch above their weight’. On occasions they have... more Australian policymakers have always harboured a desire to ‘punch above their weight’. On occasions they have succeeded. At a time when Australia’s strategic, economic and environmental future is inextricably bound up with that of its immediate neighbours and the wider world, there are compelling reasons for hoping that they still can. This paper explores some of the most important aspects of Australian foreign policy during the Rudd era and asks whether the Australian government can play a constructive, even an exemplary, role in finding solutions for some of the planet’s most pressing problems.

Human Safety, Security, and Resilience: Making Narrative Spaces for Dissent in Timor Leste

by Jacqueline Siapno

published in East-Timor: How to Build a New Nation in Southeast Asia in the 21st Century?, eds Christine Cabasset-Semedo and Frederic Durand, 193 (Bangkok, IRASEC,2009)

We Had a House in Dili

by Jacqueline Siapno

published by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability (2006)

Professor Siapno writes about the deliberate burning down of her family's house in East Timor and her subsequent... more Professor Siapno writes about the deliberate burning down of her family's house in East Timor and her subsequent flight to the mountains with her son in 2006 as a wave of political violence swept the country.

Timor Leste: On a Path of Authoritarianism?

by Jacqueline Siapno

published in Southeast Asian Affairs, 1 January 2006, pp. 323-342

"Political Science"

by Jacqueline Siapno

published in the Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, Volume I: Methodologies, Paradigms, and Sources. Leiden: Brill, 2003.

El significado político del Foro de Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico - APEC

by Julio César Cepeda Ladino

Ppaer presented at the "XIII International Congress of Latin American Association of Asian and African Studies - ALADAA". Universidad Externado de Colombia - Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá, Colombia), March 23-25 2011.

Ponencia presentada en el "XIII Congreso Internacional de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Estudios de Asia y África - ALADAA". Universidad Externado de Colombia - Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá, Colombia), 23-25 de marzo de 2011.

Research Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation - APEC Forum has traditionally focused from the economic point of view,... more Research Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation - APEC Forum has traditionally focused from the economic point of view, particularly in areas such as trade liberalization and investment, technical cooperation, as well as sustainable growth. However, it has paid scant attention to the political dimension of this intergovernmental forum, which brings together 19 countries, 1 partially recognized state and 1 State Province of East Asia, Oceania and Western America, which initially have in common their presence in the Pacific Basin, but differ in their national identities and their position in the international system.

La investigación del Foro de Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico – APEC se ha enfocado tradicionalmente desde el punto de vista económico, concretamente en aspectos como la liberalización comercial y de inversiones, la cooperación técnica, además del crecimiento sostenible. Sin embargo, se ha tenido poco en cuenta la dimensión política de este foro intergubernamental, el cual reúne a 19 Países, 1 Estado parcialmente reconocido y 1 Provincia Estatal de Asia Oriental, Oceanía y América Occidental, que inicialmente tienen en común su presencia en la Cuenca del Pacífico, pero que difieren en sus identidades nacionales y su posicionamiento en el sistema internacional.

The trouble with RAMSI: reexamining the roots of conflict in Solomon Islands

by Shahar Hameiri

The Contemporary Pacific 19, no. 2 (2007), 409-41

El “Efecto Jazz” en los mercados financieros de Asia-Pacífico: el caso de Corea del Sur

by Nahúm Fernando Hernández Gallegos

En este ensayo hago un análisis a groso modo sobre la situación de la economía coreana durante la crisis financiera... more En este ensayo hago un análisis a groso modo sobre la situación de la economía coreana durante la crisis financiera global de 2008 y cuál fue su impacto en el mercado doméstico, así como las políticas económicas aplicadas para salir del atasco financiero.

La Política Exterior Colombiana hacia la Cuenca del Pacífico: El ingreso al Foro de Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico (APEC) como un escenario futuro de integración económica regional

by Julio César Cepeda Ladino

Paper presented at the "1st. Congress of Colombian Network of International Relations - REDINTERCOL". Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla, Colombia). September 3-4, 2009.

Ponencia presentada en el "Primer Congreso de la Red Colombiana de Relaciones Internacionales - REDINTERCOL". Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla, Colombia). 3-4 de septiembre de 2009.

Colombian foreign policy has had as one of its guidelines the consolidation of trade and diplomatic relations with the... more Colombian foreign policy has had as one of its guidelines the consolidation of trade and diplomatic relations with the countries of the Pacific Basin, where the goal is to gain entry Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. For this, the study is approached from constructivism in International Relations and International Political Economy.

La Política Exterior Colombiana ha tenido como una de sus directrices la consolidación de las relaciones comerciales y diplomáticas con los países de la Cuenca del Pacífico, donde el objetivo fundamental es lograr el ingreso al Foro de Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico (APEC). Para ello, el estudio es abordado desde el constructivismo en Relaciones Internacionales y la Economía Política Internacional.

Cooperation, Friction, and Safeguarding: Australia and Indonesia’s Security Relationship

by Stefan Gruber

Dale Stephens and Stefan Gruber , ‘Cooperation, Friction, and Safeguarding: Australia and Indonesia’s Security Relationship’ (2010) 11(1) Harvard Asia Pacific Review 35

Historically, the relationship between Australia and Indonesia has been particularly fluid with dichotomous elements... more Historically, the relationship between Australia and Indonesia has been particularly fluid with dichotomous elements of great harmony and tension, co-operation and competition, selfless commitment and tacit low-intensity armed confrontation. Despite many differences, they are close physical neighbors and the management of their relationship is recognized on both sides as a critical strategic imperative. Australia has been involved in several military operations in Southeast Asia and is one of the driving economic and politi­cal forces in the region while Indonesia’s sheer size makes it a major player. It is impossible for both countries to make significant strategic decisions without affecting each other’s interests. This article provides an overview on the many different episodes of the security relationship between both countries since the establishment of Indonesia as an independent country. It further explores the importance of strengthening that relationship, which is a process in which both parties have recently taken a significant step into the right direction with signing the Treaty of Lombok.