ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the fundamental disjuncture between how states in archipelagic Southeast Asia view the political and economic geography of the region, and how non-state actors operating primarily in Southeast Asia's border areas understand it. States maintain formal rules for cross-border trade and commerce, but in practice often ignore them, leading to 'strategic hypocrisy'. It examines how this plays out in reality by looking at the border area around eastern Borneo where the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia meet. The Sabah-Mindanao-Kaltim region is characterized by semi-formal networks that sit comfortably alongside formal state institutions. Yet the region also has informal networks that serve as back-ups for the semi-formal networks, and as a means for locals to move quickly around the area. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the state of affairs seen in parts of Southeast Asia as an example of political participation and pluralism.
