ABSTRACT

In the 1990s there was a wave of multilateralism in the Asia Pacific, led primarily by ASEAN. Since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, however, many non-ASEAN states have attempted to seize the initiative, including the USA, Japan, China, South Korea, and Australia.

Kai He and his contributors debate the reasons for this contested multilateralism and the impacts it will have on the region’s security and political challenges. Will the "Indo-Pacific turn" be a blessing or a curse for regional stability and prosperity? Using a diverse range of theoretical and empirical perspectives, these leading scholars contribute views on this question and on the diverse strategies of the great and middle powers in the region.

This collection will be of great interest to scholars and students of international relations in the Asia Pacific and of great value to policy makers in the region and beyond.

part 1|58 pages

Debating regional implications

chapter 3|14 pages

Disconnecting from the region

The Asia-Pacific minus the US?

chapter 4|15 pages

Minilateral security’s relevance to US strategy in the Indo-Pacific

Challenges and prospects

chapter 5|13 pages

Asia’s competing multilateral initiatives

Quality versus quantity

part 2|86 pages

Regional actors and institutional behavior

chapter 6|17 pages

China and the new institutional balancing in the Indo-Pacific

Challenging or conforming to the international order?

chapter 8|18 pages

South Korea’s role conception and strategies for multilateralism

A ‘balance of role’ analysis

chapter 9|18 pages

Mikta

A case study of Australian multilateralism

chapter 10|14 pages

ASEAN and multilateralism 2.0

Locating ASEAN centrality within the FOIP and the BRI