Reinventing Regional Security Institutions in Asia and Africa

'In recent years, there has been a growing body of literature on regional institutions and their ostensible contributions to regional security. But why and how those institutions do what they do within the context of their dynamic and complex regional milieus remains little appreciated let alone theorised. In Reinventing Regional Security Institutions in Asia and Africa, Kei Koga critically examines the conditions under which regional security institutions (RSIs) undertake institutional change. These conditions include changes in regional distributions of power and the reassessments by RSIs of their own utility and their subsequent adjustments in the light of those power redistributions. In other words, institutional change is the outcome of a complex blend of structural transition and institutional agency. For Professor Koga, RSIs such as ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and OAU/AU (Organisation of African Unity / African Union) are interesting case studies in institutional agency and change even though their members are primarily non-great powers. Original and persuasive, this book is requisite reading for all who have an interest in comparative regionalisms.'- Tan See Seng, Professor of International Relations, Deputy Director and Head of Research, Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

'The fact that the book compares two very different regions, and focuses on the inherently regional input in the development of regional institutions makes the book original and innovative. It is essential reading for students of regional security institutions. ' - Timo Kivimäki, Professor of International Relations and Director of Research, University of Bath, United Kingdom