Political Economy of Today’s SAARC as a Regional Alliance as well as a Global Operation: Problems, Prospects and Proposals Shahid Javed Burki South Asia in the New World Order: The Role of Regional Cooperation (Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series) (London and New York: Routledge, 2014), xiii + 210 pp, £30.00 (Paperback), ISBN 978-1-138-78478-9

Monir Hossain Moni is presently a Research Professor and Head for the Program on Japan & Global Affairs under the Division of Asia & Globalized World for which he is also managing his leadership as Director of the Dhaka-located Bangladesh Asia Institute for Global Studies (BAIGS), a distinctive, state-of-the-art, progressive as well as amazing ‘role model’ independent think tank beyond national and regional boundaries. He is superbly qualified with his Bachelor and Masters degrees in Political Science conferred by University of Dhaka, a second Masters in Asian & International Relations achieved from Tokyo (Japan)-based Hitotsubashi University and a doctorate in Asian & International Studies earned from Waseda University in Tokyo under the Japanese Government MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Scholarship program. Dr Moni’s widely expanded academic expertise area encompasses global multi-disciplinary, cross-comparative and area-specific studies generally on Asia with his attentiveness on Northeast Asia focusing especially on Japan as a traditionally established power neighbored closely with China as a rapidly emerging power and South Korea as a dynamic middle power in the midst of the inter-relational, intra-regional and multilaterally-cooperative strategic, political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and technological aspects of the 21st century’s cosmic system of globalization as both change-maker and challenge-poser. However, his research ventures have long and largely dealt with Japan’s ever-increasing and all-round sustainable development cooperation South Asia with special reference to Bangladesh. In line with his long research interest and specialty, he has substantially contributed original, masterful and thus universally efficacious pieces to the frontline journals produced not only by all the globe’s higher education largest publishers but also by many promising presses inside and outside Asia during recent years. Professor Moni, who is zestful in research, has long been a regular grantee of overseas funding from renowned foundations for completing a series of innovative research projects. This worldwide traveled individual has extensively publicized his research outcomes among curious audiences at numerous conferences and workshops as well. A winner of several scholarships and fellowships mostly accomplished in Japan as well as a recipient of highly recognized and prestigious prizes named after Japan’s two most influential ex-prime ministers (Yasuhiro Nakasone and Masayoshi Ohira), Professor Moni has actually proved himself as one of the world’s top-notch Japan-specialist intellectuals worthy of advanced studies on ‘Global Asia’. This ‘world citizen’ attributable to his great venture-backed vigor while having a global mindset with testament of care and conscientiousness in his duties always endeavors to contrive a most-desired value for helping build a ‘better planet’ (ie, a truly poverty-free, prosperous and peaceful humankind) made up of a sustainable future that kindles stability, change and difference in the real sense.