Prof. Baogang He1, Professor Shaun Breslin2, Professor Kai He3, Professor Mark Beeson4
1Deakin University, Burwood, Australia, 2University of Warwick, Warwick, UK, 3Griffith University , Nathan, Australia, 4the University West Australia, Perth, Australia
Chair: Prof. Baogang He
Overview:
Regionalism, once deemed the crown jewel of world politics, is in deep trouble. Brexit has been a devastating blow for the potential of regionalism in Europe and in Asia; and both Trump’s “America First” and Beijing’s Belt & Road Initiative have marginalised the centrality of ASEAN as a regional actor. Is it possible to have “the Asia-Pacific minus the USA” when the Trump administration disengages from Asia-Pacific regional institutions as suggested by Pempel (2018)? Has Asia developed what Kai He calls “contested multilateralism 2.0”? Has China took, and will China continue to take, a leadership role in building regional institutions? What is the prospect of regionalism in Asia when it has become an instrument for global power contestation between the USA and China? These questions will be discussed by four international relations scholars in this panel.