I was interested in getting suggestions on the future of economic
cooperation between countries not included in the three major regional
blocs of Europe, Japan and East Assia, and NAFTA. Specifically, I had in
mind countries in the Indian Ocean rim including large countries like
India, South Africa, and Australia. Each of them seems somewhat left out
of these alrge three blocs. Is there any literature addressing the
cooperation between middle range countries in trade and economic
cooperation. Much of the political economy and trade related literature
seems to have focused on the three large bocs mentioned above, talked
also in general terms about the form and structure of cooperation in the
post Cold War environment, and dominated by regime theory and the like.
Obviously, no country would like to be left out of these major blocs, but
the marginalization factor may possibly encourage closer ties to try to
consolidate and assert some more bargaining power. Obviously, there can
be no cut and dry answer to these scenarios, but the lack of attention to
basic issues in political economy on how the post war environment changes
for smaller and more long term powers is surprising.
Sanjay Marwah