Asian Politics & Policy最新文献

{"title":"It's Way Too Complicated! Trump 2.0 and Southeast Asia","authors":"Aries A. Arugay","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The return of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States in 2025 has heightened strategic calculations across Southeast Asia. His approach to international relations—marked by a transactional logic, personalistic leadership style, and a general disdain for the rules-based international order (RBIO)—presents both immediate and long-term challenges to the region's security architecture, economic dynamism and diplomatic engagements. Unlike his predecessors that sought to embed Southeast Asia within a broader Indo-Pacific strategy premised on “ironclad commitment” or deeper engagement based on mutual interests, the Trump administration has prioritized short-term reciprocity over enduring relationships. This shift underscores the region's growing imperative to pursue strategic autonomy, recalibrate traditional alignments, and invest in regional mechanisms as buffers against the turbulence that Trump 2. has unleashed to the world.</p><p>Trump's foreign policy orientation represents a break from upholding the RBIO that underpinned American strategic engagement since the Cold War. His preference for bilateralism over multilateralism, and for economic coercion over diplomacy mostly based on normative values, reflects an overarching commitment to reasserting US primacy through transactional bargaining. In the context of Southeast Asia, this mode of diplomacy significantly alters the strategic calculus of regional states, many of whom have long relied on the consistency and predictability of US commitments to deter aggression and preserve a rules-based regional order (Tan <span>2024</span>).</p><p>One of the most salient implications of Trump's foreign policy is observed in US–Philippines relations. Despite the long history of the alliance, the Trump administration's prior term revealed an inclination to instrumentalize security partnerships. Episodes such as the temporary suspension of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) in 2020 highlighted the fragility of bilateral commitments when subordinated to perceived asymmetries in cost–benefit terms. For Manila, the return of Trump renews concerns regarding the reliability of security assurances, particularly in scenarios where Philippine interests may not align with immediate American strategic calculations. Initial indications seem to assuage any worst case conditions. But in such a context, excessive dependence on the alliance could generate strategic liabilities, especially given the administration's erratic signaling and prioritization of short-term leverage over institutional continuity (Misalucha and Amador <span>2016</span>).</p><p>The South China Sea disputes further underscores the limitations of a transactional US policy in Southeast Asia. While Trump's first administration pursued a confrontational posture toward Beijing, including increased freedom of navigation operations and rhetorical support for Southeast Asian maritime claimants, these actions often lacked the institutional follow-th","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aspp.70020","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143883975","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":"Participatory Climate Governance in China and India","authors":"Robert Mizo","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>China and India have emerged as key actors in international climate politics. Much of the success of the aspirations of the Paris Agreement 2015 will depend on the extent to which China and India can achieve them domestically. While the state remains the key actor in climate policymaking in China and India, the role of civil society in matters related to climate change cannot be underestimated. The paper attempts a comparative analysis of the nature of civil society participation in climate governance in China and India. It probes how much participatory and deliberative space civil society organizations enjoy through the analysis of their role in climate change governance. The paper thus studies the power relationship between the State and civil society in climate governance. The goal of the paper is to uncover the enabling factors as well as obstacles toward participatory climate governance in China and India.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143856801","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":"(En)Gendering Democracy in an Emerging Donor? Gender Equality and Civil Society Participation in Korea's International Development Cooperation Policies","authors":"Jeongseong Lee,&nbsp;Jamie Doucette","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article examines the politics of change and transition within South Korea's identity as an iconic emerging donor in the field of international development cooperation. From 2017, Korea's assistance policies witnessed a significant transformation under the liberal administration of Moon Jae-in, whose normative emphasis on democratic values contrasted deeply with the strategic approach taken by previous conservative administrations' assistance policies. We examine the sources of this transformation and its influence on Korea's development cooperation policies with a focus on the promotion of gender equality by its flagship international cooperation agency and the development of an official framework for civil partnership in international development cooperation. We argue that the influence of domestic drivers such as norm-oriented, “facilitator” institutions, “regime reformers,” and civil society organizations is key to understanding these changes and the limits they face: an analytic focus that can be useful for understanding dynamics of change in other emerging donors.</p>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aspp.70016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143836261","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":"Government-Opposition Voting and the Truth Behind It: An Empirical Analysis of Thai Legislators' Voting (1997–2013)","authors":"Attasit Pankaew","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70017","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>What accounts for the inconsistency of Thai legislative behavior according to the traditional theories of legislative behavior? Previous studies have determined that partisanship and coalition membership and the electoral connection between voters and MPs in their legislative behaviors are the most significant predictors of legislative behavior, aligning with institutional theories regarding Members of Parliament voting behavior within parliamentary systems. In clientelistic and/or semi-democracies, such as Thailand, these predictors are less likely to hold. This article examines the 20th–24th Houses (1997–2013) by analyzing government-opposition dynamics based on substantive and procedural classifications of bills. The alternative theory of “tactical intra-parliamentary maneuvers” is proposed to provide a better explanation for the inconsistency of Thai legislative behavior according to the traditional theories of legislative behavior found in this Thai data and suggest a modification of traditional theories on legislative voting behavior.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143836262","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":"The Blueway and the Red Line Spiderweb: Assessing the Impact of Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses on Environmental Protests in China","authors":"KuoRay Mao,&nbsp;Zhong Zhao,&nbsp;Yue Xu","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70018","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study examines China's environmental governance through the framework of Althusser's Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses, using the 2021 Shenzhen Blueway Ecological Belt Project as a case study. Despite the formalization of public participation, the authoritarian state employs legal, bureaucratic, and ideological mechanisms to suppress dissent while preserving legitimacy. The findings reveal how control over information flows and media narratives, coupled with legal and bureaucratic constraints on NGOs, systematically undermines public engagement and reinforces top-down governance. The Shenzhen case demonstrates the state's dual strategy of repression and ideological control, wherein environmental governance operates both as a political instrument and a means of consolidating state authority. By co-opting NGOs, restricting transparency, and framing environmental contention as a national security threat, the state effectively neutralizes opposition and fortifies its state-capitalist accumulation model. This study contributes to the discourse on authoritarian environmentalism, underscoring its long-term implications for sustainability, public participation, and state-society relations.</p>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aspp.70018","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143836249","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":"Down but not Out (Yet): Evaluating the Transition of UMNO's Political Dominance in Malaysia","authors":"Aaron Denison Deivasagayam","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article explores United Malays National Organization's (UMNO) status as a dominant party in Malaysia after its setback in the 2018 and 2022 general elections. In the author's evaluation of the dominant party theory, assertions of UMNO's demise may be a little premature. The fact that UMNO returned as an influential member of the government coalition within 20 months after the 2018 general elections and remains part of the unity government after the 2022 general elections very much demonstrates the party's influence for the time being. While UMNO's electoral dominance might have ended, the party retains influence through its doctrines and symbolic allegiance and remains in the government coalition by having a strong bargaining position. UMNO's influence in the current unity government's public policy initiatives has also remained. It would take a few more election cycles to have a conclusive view of UMNO's dominant position, but for now, the party remains a significant actor.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143836260","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":"Traditional Water Bodies and the Policy-Practice Interface of Water Conservation","authors":"Radhika Kumar,&nbsp;Pankaj Kumar Jha","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>India continues to face a clear and escalating “water crises” marked by scarcity of water. There is now an emphasis on revitalizing historical water catchments and rainwater harvesting structures, which would leverage low-cost, decentralized and community centered interventions drawing on traditional knowledge and technology. However, there exists a policy vacuum with respect to revival of the smaller water bodies such as ponds. Through a comparative study of traditional ponds in two districts of two different states, the paper argues that firstly, the state's attempts to revive water bodies has been inadequate and its response has largely been shaped by citizen led litigation. Secondly, third party interventions such as that of corporates under the rubric of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have shown initial success but are not sustainable. Thirdly, instances of successful rejuvenation of water bodies have been those led by enterprising individuals who have done so by mobilizing the local community.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143827023","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":"Why Policies and Community Don't Greet Each Other: A Study of Semarang City Policies and Community Initiatives in Waste Management","authors":"Misbah Zulfa Elizabeth,&nbsp;Sholihan Sholihan,&nbsp;Masrohatun Masrohatun,&nbsp;Ririh Megah Safitri,&nbsp;Naili Ni'matul Illiyyun","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Waste management is increasingly becoming a serious problem in this world, including in Indonesia. Several regions in Indonesia have declared themselves as “waste emergency” areas. Various policies have long been established by the government, on national, provincial, and city/regency level, and the community and other stakeholders also take part in waste management. However, it seems as if there is no connection between government policies and society, so waste management always seems to start from the beginning. Applying qualitative research methods, this study fund that Semarang City had the regulation on waste management since 2012 but the regulation is not enacted based on the community concern on the waste problem; the community activities in waste management are very variable; and the impacts of ineffective program implementation because of the less coordination between government and stakeholders. This study findings underline the importance of community-based regulation. Otherwise, it impacted in ineffective of implementation of regulation. This study also contributed to the portrait of dynamics of waste management in a city context.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143827024","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":"Connecting the Pipes: Navigating the Fragmented Rural Water Governance in the Philippines Through Common-Pool Resource Design Principles and Social Capital","authors":"Antonio D. Salazar Jr.","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Access to water for domestic use remains a challenge in many rural areas of the Philippines. To address this, the government constructs water systems and transfers their operation and maintenance to community-based organizations (CBOs), but the sustainability of these systems varies widely. The literature attributes this variability to fragmented governance. However, this overlooks the implementation gap at the community level, where CBOs are both managers and end-users. This study examines how institutional arrangements shaped by Ostrom's Common-Pool Resource (CPR) principles and social capital influence collective action and rural water governance. Drawing from qualitative data across three CBO-managed water systems in Janiuay, Iloilo, the findings highlight three key factors to sustainable rural water governance: participatory decision-making fostering trust and ownership, balancing external support and self-governance, and cultivating social capital were critical factors in fostering cooperation and successful self-governance of CBO-managed rural water systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143827025","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":"The Arctic in China's National Strategy: Science, Security, and Governance. By Martin Kossa. London: Routledge, 2024. 174 pp. €116.00. ISBN 9781032279480","authors":"A. Sri Wahyuddin,&nbsp; Aldi,&nbsp;Muh. Ikbal","doi":"10.1111/aspp.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.70012","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44747,"journal":{"name":"Asian Politics & Policy","volume":"17 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143818424","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}