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Source: Getty

In The Media

Pax Asia-Pacifica? East Asian Integration and Its Implications for the United States

The causes and consequences of the economic and cultural integration of East Asia.

Link Copied
By Josh Kurlantzick
Published on Jun 1, 2007

Source: The Washington Quarterly

Most days, the street outside the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh fills early with pedicab drivers shuttling old women to market. One winter day in 2003, however, a far different crowd gathered outside the Thai mission. Cambodian newspapers had misquoted a Thai television pop star as calling Cambodians “worms” and questioning whether Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s ancient temple complex, should be returned to Thailand. Stoked by the report, mobs attacked Thai-owned businesses across Phnom Penh, causing millions of dollars worth of damage. . .

This article was originally published in the Washington Quarterly. For the full text, please click here.

About the Author

Josh Kurlantzick

Former Visiting Scholar, China Program

A special correspondent for The New Republic, a columnist for Time, and a senior correspondent for The American Prospect, Kurlantzick assesses China’s relationship with the developing world, including Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

    Recent Work

  • In The Media
    Fighting Terrorism With Terrorists

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    Beijing’s Safari: China’s Move into Africa and Its Implications for Aid, Development, and Governance

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Josh Kurlantzick
Former Visiting Scholar, China Program
Josh Kurlantzick
Political ReformEconomyNorth AmericaUnited StatesSoutheast Asia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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