The Asia-Pacific region has, in the eyes of most observers, the potential to become the engine of global economic growth in the 21st century. Whether it does will largely depend upon the willingness of the region's nations to pursue economic co-operation and peaceful reconciliation of differences. In this volume, scholars, policy experts, and repre

The shape of economic integration in the global and regional economies - and the extent to which goods, services and factors of production move more or less freely across borders - depends not only upon underlying economic conditions but also upon politics. Whether integration is market-led, as has been the case in Asia, or institution-led as in Europe, there are political elements that affect all forms of regional and international economic integration. While geopolitics influences international economic integration, so too does domestic politics. Economic integration in Asia has been driven by rapid unilateral trade and investment liberalization and, while trade and investment patterns have been determined largely by comparative advantage, political forces have also affected patterns of economic interdependence. The form that regional institutions take, and their effectiveness, also depends on political relations between countries. The particular circumstances in Asia, and the relationships between regional economies has profoundly shaped regional institutions and will continue to do so. The chapters in this volume draw on papers originally presented to the 33rd Pacific Trade and Development Conference held in Taipei in 2009 to look in original ways at how politics shape economic integration and its various dimensions in Asia and the Pacific and globally.

Resource security is a new battleground in the international politics of the Asia-Pacific. With demand for minerals and energy surging, disputes are emerging over access and control of scarce natural resource endowments. Drawing on critical insights from political economy, this book explains why resources have emerged as a source of inter-state conflict in the region.

Attempts to integrate the Pacific regional economy accelerated sharply with the formation of the regionwide, official Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in 1989. This book probes into the distinctive process of regional cooperation in Asia-Pacific by focusing on the roles and perspectives of China, Japan, and Southeast Asian states. Asian developments shaping the new post-hegemonic global political economy challenge traditional models in international relations, which is here challenged to take East Asia seriously.

Michael Yahuda's extremely successful textbook introduces students to the International Politics of the Asia Pacific region since 1945.

Leading experts provide a clear overview of the evolving environment of trade politics and the current issues surrounding its development.

This book is a work of historical analysis focusing on the development of Islamic financial institutions from 1992 to 2011 in Indonesia as they relate to Islamic banking using a political-economic approach. Indonesia plays an influential role in various international political and Islamic organizations because it has the largest Muslim population in the world. Although Indonesia was late in establishing its banking initiatives, it did so 1992 in response to the growth of the Islamic financial institutions. From 1992 to 2011 many laws and regulations were established to support the growth of Islamic banking in Indonesia, but by national financial market indicators, Islamic banking in Indonesia fell behind many expectations. This analysis suggests that the shortcomings may be due in part to the waning power of key elements of the political superstructure to push policies that supported Islamic banking and Islamic economic systems, and establish synergies with institutions of Islamic economic education and stakeholders to accelerate the growth of Islamic banks in terms of service, national market share, and public trust.