v. conclusions
This chapter has sought to demonstrate that, while internationalisation is affecting
national constitutional systems, causing some convergence, the process is complex,
convergence is patchy and fragmentation is occurring as well. While patterns of
constitutional difference between states have changed, differences nevertheless
remain, many of which are substantial. Even where these lie only in matters of
relative detail, they affect both the theory and the practice of constitutional law.
Comparative constitutional method in the twenty-first century must accommodate
the twin realities of convergence and difference.
The situation is not static, as internationalisation and its impacts wax and,
occasionally, wane. There is more to be done to test the depths of apparent
similarity and difference across the constitutional systems of the world. Amongst
the many issues that could usefully be pursued to this end is whether and to
what extent regional groupings of states now offer a useful taxonomy for the
purposes of constitutional comparison. A volume dedicated to Asia, as one of
the most constitutionally diverse regions in the contemporary world, makes an
important start on this project.