Summit Dialogue, Ep. 4: Mark Beeson on ASEAN and regional politics of East and Southeast Asia

The geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific, or the Indo-Pacific, as the Trump Administration has referred to the Asia-Pacific is a critical aspect of international politics and today’s global order. This podcast very fortunately tackles the politics of the region with one of the true experts there, Professor Mark Beeson of the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth Australia. In the podcast we have the opportunity to review the history of the ASEAN which today includes ten countries in Southeast Asia. This summit has been ongoing since 1967 and most recently ASEAN leaders gathered in Singapore for the 32nd Summit. What has the ASEAN accomplished over this summit’s existence? What are its relations with the two great powers in the region – China and the United States? Can ASEAN be an actor in the continuing tensions of the South China Sea? Beyond just the two great powers what are, and should be, ASEAN’s relations with other major players in the region, Japan, India and Australia? And what is ASEAN’s relationship with the geopolitics and geo-economics of the Trump presidency? Mark is a Professor of International Politics at UWA and his expertise covers international relations, international political economy, Australian foreign policy, the regional politics of Asia, security interests and the economics of this vital region. Come learn more about ASEAN with Mark Beeson.