ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter examines the impact of globalization and regionalism on the global economic and political order, as well as the role that regionalism now plays in the strategies of individual states to maintain or strengthen their positions in the global political economy. Part one examines how East Asian states have responded to the challenge of globalization, and examines the growth and development of a number of regional initiatives. Part two considers the links between economic globalization and the growth of regionalism, particularly regional organizations. Both trends may reinforce each other: the spread of globalization can inhibit the ability of the state to implement national policy preferences and, as a result, globalization may encourage the state into closer regional co-operation. In summary, the thrust of this chapter is that globalization and regionalism are integrally interdependent and mutually reinforcing.
