Southeast Asia is one of the world's most diverse and complex regions. At times it has been a beacon of hope for the developing world, at other times it has been synonymous with insecurity and economic failure. The second edition of this popular and critically acclaimed text has been extensively revised throughout and provides up-to-date coverage of the forces and dynamics that are shaping the region at both the national and regional level. Contemporary Southeast Asia contains specially commissioned chapters - including seven which are entirely new to this edition - from leading area specialists. Carefully edited to ensure systematic coverage of key areas, it provides an accessible and thematically-structured comparative introduction to Southeast Asia and its distinctive patterns of strategic, political, economic and social organisation.