exercise that seeks insight from regional groupings, regionalism nevertheless offers a
pointer, both to similarities between neighbouring states and to features that distin-
guish them from states in other regions.
The potential of regionalism as a comparative tool also has been affected by
internationalisation. The global spread of ideas may further erode the remnants of
regional culture. Conversely, however, national and regional cultures may reassert
themselves as constitutional confidence grows. And the constitutional cohesion of a
region may be further strengthened by the establishment and operation of regional
organisations, whether for economic and strategic purposes or for defence of
human rights. While such arrangements also may be a catalyst for international-
isation, their immediate effect is to consolidate regional standards, as they draw on
the constitutional perspectives of the member states.
Asia
Few regions of the world are precisely delineated by geographical features and
none is entirely internally cohesive. In both respects, however, the treatment of Asia
as a region about which generalisations can be made is more problematic than
most. In geographical terms, Asia comprises the southern and more eastern por-
tions of a huge continent shared with Europe along lines of demarcation that have
varied over time. On any view of its precise limits, the area is both huge and
extraordinarily diverse. The United Nations statistics division identifies fifty coun-
tries or distinct polities as lying within the greater Asian region.^111 Twenty-three of
these fall within ‘Western’ and ‘Central’ Asian sub-regions, where there is so
marked a pull between east and west that I exclude them, admittedly arbitrarily,
from further consideration here.^112
Even with these states excluded, hyperbole about diversity is justified. The
remainder of the region includes at least two discrete areas, centred on India and
China, both of which are the sites of great and very different civilisations, conscious-
ness of which remains. While all parts of Asia were colonised or significantly
influenced by colonisation, the colonisers themselves were diverse. Even if attention
is confined to colonisers outside Asia itself they included the French, British, Dutch,
Germans, Portuguese and Americans, all of whom have left traces on systems of law
and government. More generally, Asia is characterised by a rich mix of ethnicities,
religions and cultures. As the chapters in this volume show, its systems of govern-
ment range from communist to monarchical and from authoritarian to democratic,
(^111) They include Hong Kong and Macau, but not Taiwan.
(^112) These countries are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
(Central Asia); Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian
Arab Republic, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen (Western Asia).