Introduction: Current Conflicts in Southeast Asia and Their Management in the Region’s Globalization

Abstract

This introductory chapter provides the overall view of contemporary conflicts in Southeast Asia placed in the regional context of globalization. Three types of conflict in the region, that is, ethnic conflict, conflict over democracy, and cross-border environmental or resource conflict are identified as the objects of the investigation of the book, and it is discussed in general terms how the globalization of Southeast Asia impacts each type of conflict and its management. The chapter then introduces the conceptual framework of this book, consisting of the concepts of incompatibility management and mediation regime. With this framework, the conflicts in Southeast Asia chosen for this book and their management are to be analysed in the following chapters. Also discussed is another concept of good governance, which is to be employed to assess the performance of mediation regimes that are envisaged to manage the incompatibilities of respective conflicts.