Review by Choice Review
Collins (Wales Swansea) held a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship 1995-98 based at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore with the charge to assess the post-Cold War security concerns of that region. This work is the product of that fellowship. Buttressed by a sound international relations theoretical framework and presented in lively prose, he examines ethnic tensions within the ten countries of the region, intra-ASEAN state relations, and the emerging Sino-ASEAN relationship, with special focus on the South China Sea controversy. In his well-documented and carefully argued work, Collins finds a unique mix of cooperation and conflict among ASEAN nations (the so-called ASEAN Way) that has mitigated the worst effects of the changing security dilemma of that region in the 1990s. It has muted the shock waves of the Asian economic flu, the fall of Suharto in Indonesia, and an increasing buildup of offensive military weaponry within the region. Yet he raises concer ns that this principle of noninterference may not survive the rise in ethnic tensions throughout the region and the rise of the Chinese hegemony over the region. This genuinely worthwhile acquisition for all Asian studies and international relations collections at university and college libraries is highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. A. Rhodes Luther College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
