Resource security is a new battleground in the international politics of the Asia-Pacific. With demand for minerals and energy surging, disputes are emerging over access and control of scarce natural resource endowments. Drawing on critical insights from political economy, this book explains why resources have emerged as a source of inter-state conflict in the region.

Soaring prices for minerals and energy are posing a major threat to the resource security of economies in Asia. As a result, many regional governments have launched new resource security strategies in the last few years. Natural resources are back on the agenda. After the rise of new economic powers such as China, India, and Brazil, global competition has noticeably increased strategic concerns as regards high commodity prices and possible supply shortages. Germany, the EU, the United States, and many others have devised raw material strategies that put concern over access and supply at main stage -- but the environmental and the socio-political dimensions are widely deserted in these strategies. This book underlines a new dimension of international relations and appeal for new approaches, called international resource politics, which can be used for ongoing deliberate concerning green economy and transition strategies. The relentless efforts of many people involved in ongoing initiatives -- NGOs, academics, politicians, business, and numerous citizens throughout the world -- should be seen as an encouraging sign of support. However, it is questionable whether the current system of international environmental governance -- with its maze of interlocking multilateral agreements -- offers a suitable platform for such an endeavour. Resources have many characteristics that call for a coordinated bottom-up approach, a polycentric type of politics with a high level of participation and transparency. Essential pillars of such international resource politics may also be developed in coordination with business, rather than fighting against them. Hence, formulating such international resource politics will require a creative junction of international law and private law, as well as interdisciplinary knowledge on governance and regulatory issues in a number of regions worldwide. International Resource Politics in the Asia-Pacific draws critical approaches from political economy and explains why resources have come out as a source of inter-state conflict in the region. The text considers regional-level trends in Asian resource politics by examining the causes, content and implications of the resource security strategies in Asia. It argues that growing resource security concerns, combined with a process of competitive policy emulation, have seen the Chinese, Japanese and Korean governments each adopt mercantilist resource security strategies over the last decade. Furthermore, the competitive nature of these mercantilist strategies is acting to intensify political and economic competition for resources between the regions of Asia. This book will be of valuable to students and academics of international political economy, international relations and Asian studies. It will also be of important to policymakers, practitioners, managers and analysts of the Asia-Pacific region.

This second edition of Michael Yahuda's extremely successful textbook introduces students to the international politics of the Asia Pacific region since 1945. The new edition is completely updated with contemporary coverage of the economic crises and includes new chapters on: the current role of East Asia in world affairs prospects post-2000 the strengths and weaknesses of US dominance and the challenge of other powers prospects for and implications of an East Asian economic recovery.

This book introduces readers to the deep political tensions in the Asia-Pacific and offers classroom simulations designed to encourage students to delve deeper into the issues and dynamics of the region.

Capturing the most recent currents in world affairs¿without sacrificing historical context¿the second edition of Asia Pacific in World Politics reflects more than a decade of new developments. The focus on the region¿s major state actors has now been broadened to include an entirely new chapter on India and greatly expanded treatment of both Russia and Australia. The role of international organizations is also thoroughly covered, as are the conflicts involving Taiwan and Korea and the complexities of international politics in Southeast Asia.Incorporating discussions of security broadly defined, political economy, development, human rights, refugees, and much more, this up-to-date text offers an introduction to Asia Pacific¿s dynamic role in world politics that will encourage students to engage with contemporary issues and debates.Derek McDougall is professor of political Science at the University of Melbourne.

Asia is experiencing major changes in its security relations. This book brings together respected experts to assess both the theoretical and empirical dimensions of the Asian security debate. Building on the latest research on Asia's regional security politics, it focuses on the 'regional-global nexus' as a way to understand the dynamics of Asian security politics and its intersection with global security. Contributors to the volume offer diverse but complementary perspectives on which issues and factors are most important in explaining how security politics in Asia can be interpreted at both the regional and global levels of analysis. Issues addressed include power balancing and alliances, governance and democracy, maritime and energy security, the relationship between economics and security, 'human security', terrorism, nuclear non-proliferation, climate change and pandemics. This work will serve as a standard reference on the evolution of key issues in Asian security.

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.