Nationalism in Southeast Asia has been used to refer to a variety of phenomena ranging from anti-colonialism to ethno-populism and beyond. This article critically examines claims that rapid economic growth in the second-tier Southeast Asian newly industrializing countries can be attributed to economic liberalization and that the vestiges of nationalist Japanese-style financial systems can be held responsible for the currency and financial meltdowns since mid-1997. It suggests that economic nationalism has been crucial to late industrialization in East Asia while acknowledging the problematic weaknesses of state intervention in Southeast Asia.

April 11, 2003.