Europe in Emerging Asia: Opportunities and Obstacles in Political and Economic Encounters - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1783482273 ISBN 13: 9781783482276

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015

Synopsis

leading statesmen and scholars, this book examines the economic, political, and cultural relations between Europe and emerging Asian nations.

About this title

About the Author:

Fredrik Erixon is director and co-founder of the European Centre for International Political Economy at Brussels. He has worked as adviser to the British Government; and at the office of the prime minister of Sweden, in the World Bank and at JP Morgan.

Krishnan Srinivasan is a former Indian foreign secretary and deputy secretary-general of the Commonwealth. He is presently a visiting professor at ASCI Hyderabad and fellow at the Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies at Kolkata.

Review:

Europe and Asia are each undergoing major change. That is a statement of the obvious, as is the fact that comparing their development is difficult. The great strength of this study of the relationships between Europe and Asia is that it is approached with a fine measure of detachment. The point is made clearly in the introduction, which refers to the absence of undisputed definitions of what emerging Asia and Europe comprise as regional. In addition to the introduction, there are twelve chapters, dealing with different aspects of the subject. Each chapter follows a pattern, with different headed sections, and a conclusion, which makes comparison much easier — and which reflects the professional skill of the editors. (The Hindu)

As the geopolitical foundations of the world order shift, there can be little doubt that Asia will play a defining role in the next century and beyond. In the academic and policymaking worlds, the realization of this reality has given rise to a raft of texts analyzing the future of Asia. Most have focused on the rise of China and that country’s relations with the U.S. and its Asian neighbors, while some of have taken on the subject of emerging Asia as a whole. Europe in Emerging Asia makes an important and unique contribution to this growing body of work by illuminating the often neglected subject of relations between Asia and Europe. The book draws on contributions from a broad roster of accomplished scholars and foreign policy practitioners from both continents. Their perspectives range widely in professional, cultural, and geographical background, which ensures that . . . the book leaves no stone unturned in analyzing the complicated contours of relations between the two continents. Readers will come away with both a greatly enhanced understanding of relations between Europe and emerging Asia and a renewed appreciation of the importance of strengthening the ties between the two. . . .[T]he book is impressive in both its breadth and its depth, and the topics of its chapters vary just as widely as the background of its authors. . . .Overall, Europe in Emerging Asia is an illuminating and essential read for policymakers and academics interested in the intersection of the two continents. It also does an excellent job of explaining why the relationship between the two continents is so critical for those who may not have been previously interested. Readers will come away with an in-depth knowledge of the big-picture strategic relations between the two continents, more granular detail on the situation in individual countries, and an understanding of how the relationship affects the world beyond Europe and emerging Asia. Finally, they will gain an appreciation of the vexing challenges presented by incoherent European policy and insufficient depth in the relationship, and finish the volume armed with the tools needed to overcome these persistent obstacles. (The Huffington Post)

[A] welcome addition to the growing literature on EU-Asia relations. It examines the problems and opportunities facing the EU as it grapples with a continent containing 60% of the world’s population and likely to contain 60% of the world’s middle class in less than two decades ... One of the advantages of the book is the mix of authors, including experts and policy makers from both continents. (EU-Asia Centre)

This volume, featuring a refreshingly diverse set of highly knowledgeable contributors, addresses a gap in much global scholarship and commentary: the relationship between Europe, particularly the EU, and much of Asia. The fact that the EU is largely absent outside the spheres of commerce, tourism and high culture seems to bother neither set of regional actors unduly. This book explains why. (David Malone, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations)

This is an excellent overview of relationships between Europe and Asia, which are exceptionally important but too frequently undervalued. Asian countries will play an increasingly vital role in shaping the 21st century and it is imperative that Europe should develop partnerships with them. (Lord Christopher Patten, Former Governor of Hong Kong, EU Commissioner, former Chairman of the BBC trust, Presently Chancellor of Oxford University)

Erixon and Srinivasan, and their collaborators, have produced a rare book: intricate and elegant; optimistic and realistic; descriptive and prescriptive. They avoid both the familiar European bias of assuming that the EU is the height of political evolution, as well as the new Asian bias of conflating rapid growth with full human development. Instead, they tell the complex story of how diverse European states are engaging with -- and often disagreeing with -- their diverse Asian counterparts. That web of interactions is creating a new pattern for experimental globalization -- one that, on balance, may be less dynamic than optimists have hoped, but more stable than pessimists have feared. (William Antholis, Director and CEO of the Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Former managing director of the Brookings Institution.)

Erixon and Srinivasan have assembled a strong team of political scientists, economists, public intellectuals and policy practitioners to reflect and ponder on cooperation between two important poles of the international political economy - the EU and rising Asia. This volume, coming 20 years after the EU’s first “Asia Strategy” paper and in the midst of the euro crisis, makes a timely contribution to appreciating and understanding Europe’s role in an Asian century. (Reuben Wong, Jean Monnet Chair in European Integration and Foreign Policy, National University of Singapore)

A key issue of our time is whether and how a hitherto Western-dominated international order can accommodate the rising states of Asia. Most of the analysis of this question to date has been devoted to relations between the USA and China. This important book offers valuable insights into relations between the European Union and Asia, and the EU's role - or lack of one - in the development of a new world economic and political order. (Anatol Lieven, Georgetown University)

Many books have been written about the somewhat underperforming “strategic partnership” between India and the European Union. [This book] is a refreshing addition to the list. It gives a no-nonsense account of the state of affairs between the two regions that together make up for 60 percent of the world’s population. (South Asia Monitor)

“[T]his book covers much new ground even as it presents illuminating insights into perspectives discussed elsewhere. Its value lies in the concise manner in which it covers ties between two continents” (The Statesman)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1783482273
• ISBN 13: 9781783482276
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304
• Editor: Erixon Fredrik, Srinivasan Krishnan