Abstract:
During the 1980's and for much of the 1990's, many countries in the Asia Pacific
were renowned for their economic development and prosperity. The Asian tigers were a
source of great interest for many economists and international investors. The 1997 Asian
financial crisis, however, dramatically altered the growth and the performance of these
economies. The crisis sent several ofAsia's best performing economies on a downward spiral
from which many have yet to fully recover. The crisis exposed the financial and the political
weaknesses ofmany countries in the region. Moreover, the crisis severely affected the wellbeing
and the security ofmany ofthe region's citizens.
This text will examine the economic crisis in greater detail and explore current debates
in the study of international relations theory. More specifically, this paper will examine
recent challenges posed to traditional international relations theory and address alternative
approaches to this field of study. This paper will examine Critical theory and its role in
shifting the referent object of security from the state to the individual. In this context, this
paper will also assess Critical theory's role in enabling such issues as gender and human
security to find a place on the agendas of international relations scholars and foreign policy
makers. The central focus ofthis study will be the financial crisis and its impact on human
security in the Southeast Asia. Furthermore, this paper will assess the recovery efforts ofthe
domestic governments, international organizations and various Canadian sponsored
initiatives in the context ofhuman security.
