Political economy Australia Southeast Asia Militarist neoliberalism
Amidst intensifying great power rivalry between the US and China, the Australian government has looked to greater cooperation with Southeast Asian countries to navigate a peaceful and prosperous course through the rough seas of this second Cold War. This is an understandable but also problematic direction. Economic and security imperatives have long been intertwined. The challenge now, however, is to understand how so in the new political economy of militarised neoliberalism, and the implications for regional engagement. Otherwise, policy plans have shaky foundations. This argument is prosecuted with an illustrative focus on policies of joint Australia and Southeast Asia cooperation in ‘green’ industries, most advanced with Indonesia. Political economy research reveals how policies of cooperation meant to avoid taking sides in superpower contestation can have starkly different outcomes. Identifying and analysing dominant coalitions of economic and socio-political interest, mediating how official policy is implemented or obstructed, is pivotal to understanding the constraints and possibilities of effective cooperation.
Details
Title
The new political economy of Australia—Southeast Asia engagement
Authors/Creators
Garry Rodan - Murdoch University, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences