Asia-Pacific Diplomacy: Nongovernmental Organizations and International Relations

F. Quei Quo is a professor of Political Science at Simon Fraser
University.

This book is a case study of the role and function of nongovernment
organizations in international relations. Its focus is the
Asia–Pacific region and the organizations examined are the Pacific
Trade and Development Conference (Chapter 4), the Pacific Basin Economic
Council (Chapter 5), and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council
(Chapter 6). The author’s use of the Institute of Pacific Relations
(Chapter 3) as a precursor of a nongovernmental regional international
organization is questionable; while the organizations used are mainly
concerned about economic cooperation, the institute was more distinctive
for its academic quality and cultural emphasis.

The dilemma of a nongovernmental international organization is that
once it begins to assume an important role, the government starts to
move in. The conferences and the councils dealt with in this study are
no exceptions. At least halfway through the course of their development,
these organizations became government-funded, government-appointed, and
government-directed.

Well researched and well documented, this book is a must for those
engaged in Pacific–Asia business, whether governmental or
nongovernmental.