Regionalism and policy making: Perspectives from international relations

Abstract

           The work of international relations scholars offers a number of perspectives on political developments within East Asia, in particular processes of regionalization, ideas of regionalism and the nature of regions: it can uncover the role of formal organisations, the role of trade linkages and the role of ideas and perceptions, plus, comparatively, it can spell out lessons from other parts of the world and other periods in history-in particular Europe. Public policy making within the states of East Asia must be responsive to both domestic and international demands: the former, the complex play of domestic politics-cultural traditions, political systems, organisations and social groups plus the ever shifting debates within the public sphere (personal, print and digital); the later, the subtle exchanges between sovereign powers-primarily ordered by elites - organised around a core trio of concerns common to all elites (state-making, nation-building and development) as they read and react to enfolding global structural circumstances (production, finance, security and knowledge). Analysis points to a number of lessons for policy makers in sovereign states in East Asia in respect of the issue of regions-two are perhaps crucial-first, the value of an over-arching goal coupled to day-to-day pragmatism and consensus building in respect of trade-second, the importance of paying attention to security and the lessons and legacies of history.