Sarinda Singh has an interesting piece on Laos and regional integration in the latest issue of Asian Analysis. Her conclusion provides a nice balance to many of the more ambitious claims about the erasure of national borders:
Regional integration – the aspiration of the ASEAN Charter and World Bank alike – may benefit national economies and sustainable development in the long-term but it will undoubtedly disadvantage some powerful domestic interests in the short-term. In Laos, in the environment and other sectors, it is likely that challenges to regionalisation will persist given the powerful vested interests in maintaining the status quo.
0 responses so far ↓
Add your comment in the form below.
Leave a Comment
Please note: New Mandala encourages vigorous debate. However, for the moment we will only be publishing high-quality comments that make original contributions to discussion. There will, of course, still be space for pithy, humorous, eccentric and cheeky input. Short and sweet will usually trump long and involved. Repetitive ranting, unimaginative point-scoring and idle abuse will not be entertained. Comments which carry a real name are also more likely to be approved. Thank you for your ongoing interest and contributions.