{"title":"The agency of small states in the United States-China rivalry","authors":"Aries A. Arugay","doi":"10.1111/aspp.12759","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aspp.12759","url":null,"abstract":"<p>How do small states navigate the current geostrategic rivalry between the United States (US) and China? If one solely takes the view of <i>realpolitik</i> or power politics, there seems to be very few options for weaker states. The history of international relations showed us that they played derivative roles as proxies for great powers, sites or theaters of conflict, and worst, possible victims of collateral damage in superpower clashes. A known African proverb resembles small states as the grass that gets trampled by elephants (superpowers) regardless whether they fight (conflict) or make love (cooperation). And in times of deep and pernicious polarization between great powers, the precarity of small states are heightened to unprecedented degrees.</p><p>Nonetheless, attempts to mitigate the negative repercussions stemming from the Sino-US geostrategic rivalry from the collective of small states have not gathered sufficient success thus far. On the contrary, there is increasing pressure for states to choose a side despite the benefits of taking an ambiguous stance given superpower competition. In a recent keynote speech in the 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. admitted that superpower rivalry has constrained the choices of small powers and has exacerbated regional flashpoints. He warned that small states could be included in new geopolitical spheres of influence and become buffer states. Instead, small and middle powers have the agency to forge consensus, build bridges, and even shape the rules. Instead of paws, another perspective offers that small states can be credible pathfinder, trusted partners, and committed peacemakers. To fulfill these potentials, there is a need for small states to assert their agency but to also collectively organize and band together.</p><p>Previous articles published in <i>Asian Politics & Policy</i> emphasized the moments where the agency of small states can be seen. For example, the hedging strategy between competing regional powers has been the default approach of small Arab Gulf states to address their respective security dilemmas (Hamdi & Salman, <span>2020</span>). Using Malaysia as a case study, Kuik (<span>2016</span>) also argued that hedging is the strategy of smaller powers, especially those that hedge on a wide variety of security risks, rather than focused on any major power. Using other countries in Southeast Asia like Cambodia and Vietnam, Železný (<span>2022</span>) revealed the diverse types of hedging behavior given US-China competition during the Obama administration. These research articles suggest the states can creatively navigate the competition between great powers. It remains to be seen whether these strategies are sustainable as the rivalry between US and China intensifies.</p><p>In this issue of <i>APP</i>, we also feature similar studies that reflect on the ability of Asian states to manoeuvre around superpower rivalry. The articles written by","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aspp.12759","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141805973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Hirschman effect re-examined from the perspective of security perception: A case study of Southeast Asian countries and China","authors":"Xinlei Zhao","doi":"10.1111/aspp.12750","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aspp.12750","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The dependency relationship in economic and trade cooperation between countries has long been a subject of ongoing debate among scholars of international relations. Albert Hirschman proposed his theory, known as the “Hirschman effect,” which examines how profit-making groups influence the foreign policies of nations. However, this article contends that interest groups alone cannot fully account for the Hirschman effect. Through examining cases involving Southeast Asian countries and China, it becomes evident that security needs and interest preferences collectively influence the strength of the Hirschman effect between small and large countries. Specifically, Cambodia, Malaysia, and the Philippines illustrate varying degrees of the Hirschman effect, with Cambodia exhibiting a positive effect, Malaysia demonstrating a composite effect, and the Philippines displaying a negative effect.</p>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141685676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Inconsequential setback: The elusive impact of the Afghanistan withdrawal on Chinese assessment of US credibility","authors":"Yves-Heng Lim, Jon Cottam","doi":"10.1111/aspp.12755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12755","url":null,"abstract":"<p>On August 31, 2021, 20 years after the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, President Biden announced the completion of the United States (US) withdrawal from Afghanistan. The difficult conditions of the withdrawal raised major questions about US credibility, as images from Kabul were broadcasted around the world. Pundits, scholars, and former decision makers warned that reputational damages incurred by Washington could lead Chinese decision makers to reassess the credibility of US commitments in the Indo-Pacific. Few studies have, however, examined how China interpreted the Afghanistan withdrawal. This article proposes to fill this gap. It argues that though Chinese observers did see the Afghanistan withdrawal as caused by a lack of US resolve, this perceived lack of resolve did not translate into general reputational costs for the United States and, consequently, calculations made by Chinese observers about US credibility in the Indo-Pacific region remain largely unimpacted by the Afghanistan setback.</p>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aspp.12755","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141968217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Explaining the expansion of the NGO sector in China: Through the lense of adaptive corporatist governance","authors":"Esther E. Song","doi":"10.1111/aspp.12752","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12752","url":null,"abstract":"<p>What explains the exponential growth of the number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in China during the recent decades? Moving beyond the extant literature that focuses on the strategic relationship between NGOs and the local state, this article argues that the growth can be also attributed to the central state which has focused on the promotion of different types of NGOs throughout time. The proactive role of the central state has become more conspicuous under the Xi Jinping administration where the party-state plays a more active role in maneuvering the growth of a service-oriented third sector. This adaptive strategy has led to the counterintuitive phenomenon of an increase in institutional space for NGOs in authoritarian China, especially the social service-oriented NGOs in recent years. This article draws from theories of institutional change to explain the process through which the central state has expanded institutional space for NGOs throughout time.</p>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aspp.12752","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141967383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Muhammad Yamin, Meitry F. Tafarini, Nurilla Elysa Putri, Abdul Kholik, Siti R. Andelia
{"title":"One policy but different interpretations: A case of agricultural policy implementation in Indonesia","authors":"Muhammad Yamin, Meitry F. Tafarini, Nurilla Elysa Putri, Abdul Kholik, Siti R. Andelia","doi":"10.1111/aspp.12756","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12756","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Indonesian governments developed the Upsus Pajale policy to achieve a goal and solve the problem of food self-sufficiency. Rice, corn, and soybean were the main commodities in the plan of Upsus Pajale Policy implementation. UPSUS Pajale improve rice, corn, and soybean production for food self-sufficiency. This study examined UPSUS Pajale policy implementation at the province, district, subdistrict, and farmer levels. This study examined rice growing in Banyuasin's tidal lowlands, Ogan Komering Ilir's swamplands, and East Ogan Komering Ulu's irrigated rice fields. The research method used a combination model of quantitative and qualitative (mixed method). Sampling data used purposive sampling. NVivo 12 software examined provincial, district, subdistrict, farmer interviews, and group discussions. Results affected typology management constraints differently. Production input costs were the most common issue. This study found that policy was differently implemented at various levels. It would be impacted to the success of the policy.</p>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141967384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can Asia's climate leader please step forward?","authors":"Indra Overland, Sharon Seah","doi":"10.1111/aspp.12754","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12754","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Asia's contribution will be decisive for the global effort to mitigate climate change. But Asia lacks a country that could take the lead and inspire the rest of the region to accelerate its climate action. To identify countries that could fulfill such a role, this article takes a two-step, mixed-methods approach. First, an index is created to identify some potentially leading countries. Second, the top countries identified by the index are assessed in greater detail qualitatively. The analysis finds that China, Japan, and Singapore are the most plausible candidates to take the lead. By doing so, these countries could potentially inspire their neighbors to step up their own efforts as climate change becomes an increasingly important issue in international affairs. However, to become a leader and influence their peers, they will have to make a conscious choice and dedicated effort.</p>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aspp.12754","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141967385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sanctions with Chinese characteristics: Rhetoric and restraint in China's Diplomacy by \u0000 Angela Poh, \u0000Amsterdam: \u0000Amsterdam University Press, \u0000 2021, \u0000 372 pages.","authors":"Enrico V. Gloria","doi":"10.1111/aspp.12757","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12757","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141967388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}