Introduction

Since the end of the Cold War, the international system has been interpreted as highly regionalised in terms of security, with actors within regional contexts identifying a significant degree of interdependency between one another in terms of security. The study of regions, regionalism and regional security has thus become increasingly prominent over the last few decades. ¹ This has been accompanied by a focus on the regional by policy-makers in both national and international politics. This twin academic and policy emphasis has led the current international system to be characterised as a ‘World of Regions’. ² Indeed, some scholars have suggested that ‘the 21st century could become the century of regionalism’. ³