Open Self-Reliant Regionalism: Power for ASEAN's Development

This book is addressed to the problem of Southeast Asia's powerlessness in relation to the control over developmental resources. Based on a discussion of previous conceptions and the reality of the relationship between development and international relations in Southeast Asia, a theory of international power and relation, which determines resource allocation, and hence developmental capacity, is evolved. Unlike the conception of power in other theories, this theory differentiates between two generic types of power, namely, systemic power which is based on dependence implied in the system of international relations, and asystemic power, which is based on various attributes of nations. From this theory, the strategy of open self-reliant regionalism is developed and applied to ASEAN. This strategy manipulates international balances of powers and dependence in order to benefit ASEAN. Through the application of this strategy, ASEAN countries may be able to obtain the capacity to control more developmental resources and hence to apply them for their own development.