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

{
  "authors": [
    "Josh Kurlantzick"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "asia",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "AP",
  "programs": [
    "Asia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Southeast Asia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Economy"
  ]
}

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.

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

Political Reform Economy North America United States Southeast 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.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary
Strategic Europe
The Speech Ursula von der Leyen Can’t Deliver
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is about to give her annual address on the state of the EU. Here’s what she won’t—but should—say.
Rym Momtaz
Article
How Europe’s 2027 Elections Could Test EU Governance
Radical-right parties are expected to do well in upcoming elections in four of the EU's biggest member states. If successful, they could prevent the union from addressing key challenges ahead.
Stefan Lehne
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Taking the Pulse: Is Canada Leading a Third Way?
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has twice inspired praise for standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump: at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos and on Canada-U.S. trade negotiations. Is Carney showing a third way better than the EU has in dealing with the Trump administration?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
Article
Europe’s Overseas Countries and Territories as Geopolitical Assets
European states control several Overseas Countries and Territories around the world that carry strategic, economic, and environmental weight. As great powers challenge the rules-based order, defending them is a geopolitical imperative for Europe.
Marc Pierini
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Why MAGA’s Far-Right European Ties Will Endure
In supporting Europe’s far-right, MAGA and Russia both want the same thing: a weaker EU. Europe must defend itself without abandoning the openness these forces exploit.
Armida van Rij

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary

Strategic Europe

The Speech Ursula von der Leyen Can’t Deliver

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is about to give her annual address on the state of the EU. Here’s what she won’t—but should—say.

Rym Momtaz

Article

How Europe’s 2027 Elections Could Test EU Governance

Radical-right parties are expected to do well in upcoming elections in four of the EU's biggest member states. If successful, they could prevent the union from addressing key challenges ahead.

Stefan Lehne

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Taking the Pulse: Is Canada Leading a Third Way?

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has twice inspired praise for standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump: at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos and on Canada-U.S. trade negotiations. Is Carney showing a third way better than the EU has in dealing with the Trump administration?

Rym Momtaz, ed.

Article

Europe’s Overseas Countries and Territories as Geopolitical Assets

European states control several Overseas Countries and Territories around the world that carry strategic, economic, and environmental weight. As great powers challenge the rules-based order, defending them is a geopolitical imperative for Europe.

Marc Pierini

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Why MAGA’s Far-Right European Ties Will Endure

In supporting Europe’s far-right, MAGA and Russia both want the same thing: a weaker EU. Europe must defend itself without abandoning the openness these forces exploit.

Armida van Rij