In the era of globalization, regionalism aims at a practical compromise between global governance and national aspirations. Attempts have been made by states, in varying degrees, to advance cooperation towards mutual benefit in different parts of the world. However, the very process of regional cooperation in a defined geographical area adopts unique ways and special characters to accommodate the particularities of the region and does not lead to similar consequences when compared with the processes in motion in other areas. This volume is the culmination of the brainstorming exercise of a National Seminar on ‘Asian Regionalism in the Twenty First Century’ at the Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. The task is to fulfil two main objectives: to join the debate on the efficacy of regionalism today and make a meaningful contribution to an understanding of the subject; and also to suggest ways of tiding over the problems faced by the countries in various regions or sub-regions of the Asian continent in their attempts to advance towards the goal of regional cooperation and integration.

The essays in this book are envisioned to benefit not only a wide community of scholars involved in teaching and research in general and the students of international relations in particular but would also be of interest to any avid reader who intends to explore the patterns of contemporary world politics.