Theoretical Approaches to the Study of ASEAN

Elena Martynova

Elena Martynova - PhD student at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs of the National Research University “Higher School of Economics”, Moscow, 20 Myasnitskaya, Russia; E-mail: emartynova@hse.ru

Abstract

One of the main trends in the recent years has been the shift of global economic development to the Asia-Pacific Region (APR). Consequently, the political importance of the region has increased greatly. The integration processes taking place in the region attract the attention of many researchers. Whether the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an effective organization or not has been a matter of dispute among international affairs experts for a long time. The ASEAN’s place in the world politics and economy does not render itself to an easy assessment. In the academic community there is a lively debate about how to analyze the international relations in East and Southeast Asia. Methodological questions of studying the international organizations in the Asia-Pacific region have not yet received much coverage either in Russian and foreign literature. In this regard, a comparative analysis of the theoretical approaches to the study of ASEAN, one of the most influential organizations in the Asia-Pacific region, is very important.

This article explores the main theoretical approaches to the study of international relations in Southeast Asia. Most researchers tend to believe that the study of the region should not be carried out within one theory or generally accepted paradigm such as realism or constructivism. The presented analysis highlights that the abundance of the different theoretical frameworks complicates achievement of consensus on the effectiveness of ASEAN as an organization between the researchers. However, theoretical pluralism is the most productive approach since it contributes to the objective analysis of contemporary international relations.

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Contacts

Elena Martynova

Theoretical Approaches to the Study of ASEAN