THE BORDER AS A TRANSITION FROM BATTLEGROUND TO BRIDGE: POWER, TRADE, AND THE POLITICS OF SECURITY IN THE MEKONG SUBREGION
Keywords:
Borderlands, Contemporary Security, Mekong SubregionAbstract
Border areas in the Mekong Sub-region hold strategic significance across security and economic dimensions. Their dynamics reflect the contestation and accommodation of interests among states, capital, and local communities. This study aimed to elucidate borderland dynamics and analyze power relations and the politics of security at the subregional level, using a Critical Political Economy and Contemporary Security framework. The findings indicated that regional cooperation mechanisms such as GMS and ACMECS, while advancing trade, faced challenges from cross-border labor, informal economies, and inequitable benefit distribution. Special Economic Zones (SEZs) also exacerbated inequality and weaken community bargaining power. Findings original contribution was the Integrated Borderland Dynamics Model, which interlinks state–capital–community relations with multiple dimensions of security, offering a policy framework to foster comprehensive security and promote a sustainable border economy.
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