Making sense of the 'haze problem' and international cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Abstract

The haze problem represents an interesting issue-area for studying contemporary international relations in the region. This paper basically addresses the question - what constitutes the haze problem and why resolution of the problem through regional cooperation has not been effective. To dissect the issue, various dimension of the problem is explored by applying three different International Relations (IR) perspectives: social constructivism, domestic politics or Level II analysis, and neoliberal institutionalism. The approach taken draws inspiration from both interpretive as well as rationalist sources/disciplines.