On April 19-20, 2006, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted a regular annual scientific conference organized by the Southeast Asia Department. It focuses on current problems and trends in the development of the region and individual Southeast Asian countries. The conference was dedicated to the memory of Doctor of Historical Sciences Alexander Borisovich Belenky. The conference was attended by employees of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, other academic institutes, higher educational institutions in Moscow, and employees of practical organizations. A. B. Belenky is the first Russian researcher of social thought in Indonesia in modern and contemporary times. Today, there are practically no orientalists studying Indonesian history who do not refer to his major works in this area. They are distinguished by the depth and objectivity of the analysis, thoroughness in the selection of material, sharpness of formulations and conclusions. In the memory of all those who knew him, A. B. Belenky will remain a man who combined high scientific integrity with great diligence, broad erudition, genuine intelligence and cordiality. The conference program included two main reports and three blocks of issues: regional aspects of politics and geopolitics, general economic issues, and country problems. The main presentations were made by the Heads of the Department. Department of Southeast Asia D. V. Mosyakov and S. A. Bylinyak (both of IB RAS). Dmitry Mosyakov's report "Political and Economic Processes in Greater East Asia: New Realities and Prospects" noted that integration in Greater East Asia (ASEAN, China, Taiwan, Japan, and both Koreas) has been developing more and more intensively in recent years. The surge in unifying trends is explained by the rapid economic growth of most countries in the region, the gradual transformation of Greater East Asia into one of the leading countries in the region.- page ... Read more