 EAI Issue Briefing Middle Power Initiative 2013-03 |
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In Issue Briefing No. 3 of EAI's Middle Power Diplomacy Initiative (MPDI), Hyung Jong Kim analyzes the implications of efforts to establish the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on regional economic integration in Southeast Asia. With ASEAN at a crossroads as it seeks to develop an integrated community, "ASEAN Economic Community and its Strategic Implications" reviews pre-AEC initiatives and examines its rationale and strategies, while focusing on the resistance of protectionism against liberalization, political considerations, and the 'ASEAN Way.' Finally, the paper concludes that the AEC arose as an answer to emerging East Asian regionalism and recommends that South Korea must diversify its strategy from bilateralism with superpowers to middle-power networks like the AEC in the future. Supported by the MacArthur Foundation, MPDI strives to: 1) Identify middle powers; 2) Explore issues for a middle power network collaboration to enhance U.S.-China cooperation; and 3) Facilitate the formation of a middle power network among U.S. allies without triggering China's strategic backlash. 
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