Chanintira na THALANG and Yong-Soo EUN, Global International Relations in Southeast Asia

The book titled Global International Relations in Southeast Asia, edited by Chanintira na Thalang and Yong-Soo Eun, significantly and remarkably contributes to understanding the Southeast Asian region’s engagement with and impacts on Global International Relations (IR). At the beginning of the book, the authors geographically define Southeast Asia as a region that hosts a wide variety of cultural and political structures, has a colonial history, and is gaining increasing importance in today’s global dynamics. Based on the features and experiences of the region, the authors emphasize the potential of Southeast Asia to contribute to Global IR and the importance of theoretical approaches that can be developed for Global IR. The book describes Global IR as an approach that aims to enhance the diversity and inclusiveness of the discipline by considering the local issues, histories, and cultural contexts of different geographical regions, such as Southeast Asia, outside the West. According to the book, Global IR seeks to develop a broader perspective on how IR is shaped in different geographies and contexts, such as Southeast Asia, by overcoming the dichotomous divide between the West and non-West.