Seventeen specialists from North America, Europe and Asia join forces in this book to present a picture of the most dynamic region of the Third World in the mid-1990s. In looking at Southeast Asia within the context of the dramatic changes that have been reshaping the international system since the mid-1980s, they take account of economic, social, political and strategic factors as well as the growing international role of non-governmental organizations.

An introductory survey of the emerging order in Asia Pacific is followed by four chapters exploring changes in the Southeast Asian regional environment. Two demonstrate how ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) is developing new political roles and new modes of economic cooperation, and the others treat two new issue areas of growing importance in international relations. There are six chapters examining the strategic and economic policies of the major external powers towards Southeast Asia and two more focusing on the still unresolved conflict in Cambodia and on the continuing disputes over the ownership of the Spratly Islands.

The conclusion assesses the relevance of Southeast Asian experience in the 'New World Order' to the ongoing theoretical debates about democracy, the market, the state and multilateralism.