To, Lee Lai and Othman, Zarina (eds.), Regional Community Building in East Asia: Countries in Focus, London: Routledge (350 pages). ISBN-10: 1138640433 and ISBN-13: 978-1138640436.
This volume is a collection of papers written by nationals of the respective country in ASEAN and Northeast Asia. Unlike other works written by scholars outside ASEAN or East Asia, it offers an insider’s point of view of the 10 ASEAN states, China, Japan and South Korea on regional community building. While a nationalist perspective may permeate throughout the study, it is also clear that pursuing regional cooperation is considered to be important by the respective author, denoting the non-exclusivity between nationalism and regionalism and the mutual reinforcement of the two.
Professor Pan Suk Kim wrote a chapter entitled “Major Perspectives of South Korea and ASEAN Cooperation” in this book. This book will provide readers with many suggestions and hints in prospecting the future of New East Asia in the era of Asia.