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This paper examines the nature of cohesive patterns of roll call voting behavior across international issues among the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Existing studies reveal a high level of foreign policy convergence among these countries. By incorporating several international issues, we set out to advance the scholarly understanding of the ASEAN states' voting convergence in the UNGA. Our bill-level analysis of voting similarity in the post-Cold War period shows that the respective voting patterns vary across issues on arms control and disarmament, colonialism, economic development, human rights, nuclear weapons and nuclear material, as well as the Palestinian conflict. These findings highlight the ideas and interests of Southeast Asian countries across different foreign policy contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the degree to which the issues of democracy and the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China have polarized Hong Kong's elite politics. By analyzing roll call voting behavior in the Legislative Council (LegCo, 1998-2012), I present empirical findings that these competing political visions have been the single most important cleavage in the legislature. At the same time, however, there are substantial differences among the LegCo members on the salience of this Beijing/democracy issue dimension. The political elites who are directly elected are less aligned to the main issue dimension. Roll call voting behaviors of the independents and the minor party members are also less explained by the major political issue cleavage. These findings provide an additional lens for a better understanding of the political landscape in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]