A Gathering Storm The Politics of Recession in Southeast Asia
VIEW EVENT DETAILSEconomic growth in the main economies of Southeast Asia is expected to be cut in half this year. The region's last major economic crisis, in 1997-98, triggered demonstrations and changes of government in several Southeast Asian states. What can we expect this time around? How will the recession affect the influence of China, progress toward East Asian and Pacific integration, and the balance of power between maritime and mainland Asia? Asia's recession could also exacerbate political dilemmas already confronting the region. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is in trouble. Despite the ideas and energy of its new secretary-general, Surin Pitsuwan, the organization suffers from a troubling leadership vacuum. Are there, nevertheless, regional solutions to the crisis and its repercussions? Does ASEAN Plus 3 (China, Japan, and South Korea) have a role to play in pulling the region out of this crisis? Will Indonesia step into ASEAN's vacuum and lead the region? Please join us to discuss these and other relevant issues. Featuring: Donald K. Emmerson, Director, Southeast Asia Forum, Stanford University, and editor of Hard Choices: Security, Democracy, and Regionalism in Southeast Asia (2008) Ellen L. Frost, Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, D.C., and author of Asia's New Regionalism (2008) John D. Ciorciari, National Fellow, Hoover Institution