The Ascension of Asian Multilateralism in the Contemporary International System

Abstract

This article deals with the rise of Asian multilateralism and its influence on the contemporary international system. Asian regionalism over the two decades of the 21st century gained strength, acquiring a more institutionalized character and strengthening economic and political cooperation between countries. In locating the economic growth of nations in the post-Cold War period, the institutionalization of Asian cooperation and the strengthening of regional mechanisms are analyzed here. Furthermore, this article suggests that, today, Asia has the same power to model international relations as the traditional Western actors, the United States and the European Union. This happens through the establishment of a diplomatic, commercial and political system centered on Asia and the recognition of the power to reorient the economies and strategies of other nations in the world.