The Issue of Regionalism in Asia

Third International Conference on International Studies, Kuala Lumpur

1st December 2010

Visiting Senior Fellow Dr. Munir Majid today delivered a lecture on "The Issue of Regionalism in Asia" at the Third International Conference on International Studies in Kuala Lumpur. In his lecture Dr. Munir argued that the discourse on regionalism in Asia is exclusive in the sense a great part of it is not often considered, most of the attention being focused on East Asia; on the other hand, it is in reality inclusive through the involvement of countries not strictly part of Asia in the formulation of the regional architecture.

While regional groupings such as ASEAN, which can be considered the most successful in Asia, may claim to an indigenous contribution to regionalism, there are now invasive forces, ideas and notions which drive the regional agenda. Where regional arrangements in the much-focused East Asia will finally settle, he concluded, depends on the balance of power and relationship between the two most formidable countries in the world today: the US and China.

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About International Conference on International Studies (ICIS) 2010

Voices of a New Deal for Asia, and from the Malaysian shore, were gaining international resonance in the 1990's. These came with massive tectonic shifts in international political economy- shifts propelled by the ending of a century and the beginning of a new century- shifts that accelerated, and now assuming major global dimensions; with promise of change as well as danger of regression. The collapsing Soviet State Communism paves the way for the opening up of a New China and Central Asia in the East and the opening up of Eastern and Central Europe in the West. Resource Wars, the killing-fields and satellite-endorsed, are ragging in every continent despite the official ending of the Cold War and along with it environmental damage cuts deeper ; debt-driven PetroDollar Hegemony is crumbling, shattering international financial infrastructure and worsening global inequalities, pushing for a world multiple currency setup and the returning of usury-riba-free gold exchange economy. Tied to this massive undercurrent of shifts and turns are two other realizations; the prohibitive impact of the nation-state format upon international labour mobility, leading to rampant and violent human smuggling particularly into developed economies; and the need for major deconstruction and reconstruction of international organizations and institutions. It is the task of this conference to fathom root-courses and catalysts, to measure and compare their dynamics and implications and to prepare a fresh Blue-Print to welcome The New Asian Century.

 

OBJECTIVES

The conference aims to:

1. facilitate the exchange of ideas on contemporary issues in international studies, specifically, with regard to the main theme of A New Asian Century;
2. generate public interest in the wide-ranging issues that touch every aspect of the international community;
3. provide wider net-working between different groups of players – individuals, businesses, NGOs and policy-makers
4. facilitate the exchange of scholarly views and find practical approaches in debating these issues
5. facilitate networking among institutions of higher learning in the region leading to nurturing networking of the Association of International Studies Malaysia (AIS); and
6. produce scholarly publications on the issues related to the conference topic

 

SUB-THEMES

1. Managing Global Crisis and Change
2. New Emerging Economies
3. Regional and Geo-Politics Implications
4. Economic Collaboration and Integration