This study takes up the complex interactions and tensions among Southeast Asian states, markets and societies within the context of a regional order under American hegemony, with emphasis on individuals and collectives whose thoughts and actions actively intervene in the shaping of relations between and among the three realms. The book also examines the social and political impact and consequences of the Asian crisis in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, with particular emphasis on elite and popular nationalist ‘backlash’ against globalisation and Americanization.