ASEAN: Community of Diplomacy

ASEAN: Community of Diplomacy

"Intergovernmental organizations, as opposed to nongovernmental

organizations (NGOs) and corporations, are organizations that are created by agreement among states rather than by

private individuals."- Samuel Barkin, 2006

• In multilateral negotiations, states generally care about both a good overall outcome and an outcome that reflects their own particular national interests, although the balance between the two can vary. (Krasner, 1996)

• Complex interdependence has three key characteristics. – Military force plays a minor role in settling

disputes. – States have multiple channels of

communication with each other.– There is no clear hierarchy of issues.

Does interdependence generate a more cooperative international relations, or are IOs simply a new forum for traditional power

politics?

ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a political, cultural, and economic organization of nations in Southeast Asia. (Keling,

2011)

"One Vision,

One Identity,

One Community."

Aims & Purposes

•Accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region•To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of the law •To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical and administrative fields•To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, the improvement of transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their people•To promote Southeast Asian studies•To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes, and to explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves

Bangkok Declaration / ASEAN Declaration (Dawson, 1998)Founding document of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Signed in Bangkok on 8th of August 1967 by the 5 founding members - Indonesia ( Foreign Minister Adam Malik), Malaysia (FM Abdul Razak), Philippines (FM Narciso Ramos), Singapore (FM Sinnathamby Rajaratnam), and Thailand (FM Thanat Khoman).

Motivations for the birth of ASEAN•Concentrate on Nation Building

•Common fear of Communism•Reduced Faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960s•Desire for Economic Development

MEMBER STATES

HEADS OF ASEAN STATES

ASEAN STRUCTURE AND

MEETINGS

•The chair of ASEAN is rotated among the ASEAN countries on an annual basis, and acts as host of the Summit and key ministerial meetings. The Chair of ASEAN for 2014 is Myanmar, to be followed by Malaysia in 2015 and Laos in 2016•The ASEAN Secretariat, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, coordinates initiates and implements ASEAN activities.•The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary – General of ASEAN, who is appointed for a five year term and accorded ministerial status. Le Luong Minh, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, assumed the post of Secretary – General of ASEAN in January 2013.

ASEAN COORDINATING COUNCIL

• Comprise the ASEAN Foreign Ministers. • Prepare the meetings of the ASEAN Summit• Coordinate the implementation of agreements &

decisions of the ASEAN Summit• Coordinate with the ASEAN Community Councils • Coordinate the reports of the ASEAN Community

Councils and the ASEAN Summit• Consider the Annual report of the Secretary –

General on the work of ASEAN

ASEAN COMMUNITY COUNCIL• Ensure the implementation of the relevant

decisions of the ASEAN summit, coordinate the work of the different sectors on issues which cut across the other Community Council, submit reports and recommendations to the ASEAN Summit.

• Chaired by the appropriate Minister from the Member State holding the ASEAN Chairmanship.

ASEAN SECTORAL MINISTRIAL BODIES• Strengthen cooperation in their respective fields

in support of ASEAN integration and community building.

• Submit reports and recommendations to their respective Community Councils.

SECRETARY GENERAL OF ASEAN• Appointed by the ASEAN Summit for a non – renewable

term of office of the 5 years• Carry out the duties and responsibilities of the office in

accordance with the ASEAN charter• Facilitate and monitor progress in the implementation of

ASEAN agreements and decisions, and submit an annual report

• Participate in meetings of the ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Community Councils, the ASEAN Coordinating Council and ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies and other relevant meetings.

ASEAN + THREE

• A forum that functions as a coordinator of cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the three East Asia nations of Japan, China, and South Korea. (Gavrilov, 2011)

• It cannot be defined either as an international intergovernmental organization or as an organ of such organization. They obtain a more solid foundation and the free trade region established separately by ASEAN as well as China Japan and South Korea (Sheng, 2011)

Meetings• ASEAN SUMMIT

– In 1987, the leaders decided to meet every five years but in 1992 the leaders agreed to meet more frequently deciding to hold the summit every three years. (ASEAN Primer)

– The formal summit meets for three days. The usual itinerary is as follows:

• Leaders of member states would hold an internal organization meeting.

• Leaders of member states would hold a conference together with foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum.

Meetings

• EAST ASIA SUMMIT: – A regional leader’s forum for strategic dialogue and

cooperation on key challenges facing the East Asian region. – Member States: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India,

Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam.

– The summit has discussed issues including trade, energy and security and the summit has a role in regional community building

– The centerpiece of the East Asia Summit year is an annual leader’s Summit, usually held back to back with annual ASEAN leader’s meetings.

COMMUNITY BLUEPRINTS

The ASEAN Leaders at their Summit in Kuala Lumpur in December 1997 decided to transform ASEAN into a stable, prosperous, and highly competitive region with equitable economic development, and reduced poverty and socio-economic disparities (ASEAN Vision 2020).

An ASEAN single market and production base shall comprise five core elements: (i) free flow of goods; (ii) free flow of services; (iii) free flow of investment; (iv) freer flow of capital; and (v) free flow of skilled labour. In addition, the single market and production base also include two important components, namely, the priority integration sectors, and food, agriculture and forestry.

The main objective of the competition policy is to foster a culture of fair competition. Institutions and laws related to competition policy have recently been established in some (but not all) ASEAN Member Countries (AMCs).

ASEAN operates in an increasingly global environment, with interdependent markets and globalised industries. In order to enable ASEAN businesses to compete internationally, to make ASEAN a more dynamic and stronger segment of the global supply chain and to ensure that the internal market remains attractive for foreign investment, it is crucial for ASEAN to look beyond the borders of AEC.

The main objective of the competition policy is to foster a culture of fair competition. Institutions and laws related to competition policy have recently been established in some (but not all) ASEAN Member Countries (AMCs).

The ASEAN Political-Security Community has its genesis of over four decades of close co-operation and solidarity. The ASEAN Heads of States/Governments, at their Summit in Kuala Lumpur in December 1997 envisioned a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies.

The APSC shall promote political development in adherence to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and good governance, respect for and promotion and protection of human rights, and fundamental freedoms as inscribed in the ASEAN Charter. It shall be a means by which ASEAN Member States can pursue closer interaction and cooperation to forge shared norms and create common mechanisms to achieve ASEAN’s goals and objectives in the political and security fields.

The APSC subscribes to a comprehensive approach to security, which acknowledges the interwoven relationships of political, economic, social-cultural and environmental dimensions of development. It promotes renunciation of aggression and of the threat or use of force or other actions in any manner inconsistent with international law and reliance of peaceful settlements of dispute.

Moreover, cooperation in political development will bring to maturity the political elements and institutions in ASEAN, towards which the sense of inter-state solidarity on political systems, culture and history will be better fostered. Such inter-state solidarity can be achieved further through the shaping and sharing of norms.

Case Studies

"ASEAN is obviously a very important association for us. Over the past 30 years Asean has made great strides in regional cooperation covering a number of areas, although recently it has been under strain because of the financial crisis and other challenges."

--Hassanal Bolkiah

SOURCESBooks• Dawson, Michael, McNamara Deborah, Eccleston, Bernard (1998). The Asia-Pacific Profile. Routledge (United Kingdom).• Gavrilov, Prof. Dr. Vyacheslav V. (2011). Framework of ASEAN plus Three Mechanisms Operating in the Sphere of Economic

Cooperation. Center for Asian Legal Exchange (CALE). Nagoya, University, Japan. • Barkin, Samuel (2006). International Organization: Theories and Institutions.

Official Documents• ASEAN Secretariat (2009). ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint.• ASEAN Secretariat (2009). ASEAN Socio-cultural Community Blueprint.• ASEAN Secretariat (2009). ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint.• ASEAN Charter.

Journal• S. Rajaratman. (1992). ASEAN: The Way Ahead. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.• website: http://www.asean.org/news/item/asean-the-way-ahead-by-s-rajaratnam• Sheng, Zhong (2011). ASEAN Plus Three cooperation is driving force for East Asia. People’s Daily.• HTML: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90780/91343/7571027.html• Keling, Mohammad Faisol (2011). The Development of ASEAN from Historical Approach.• Goh, Gillian (2003). The ASEAN Way: Non-Intervention and ASEAN's Role in Conflict Management.• Wong, Diana (2013). Managing Labour Organization in ASEAN: Concerns for Women Migrant Workers.• Stephen Krasner, Sovereignty: Organized Hypocrisy(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999.• ASEAN InterParliamentary Assembly ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Seminar: The Role of Parliamentarians in the Protection

and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers in ASEAN in 2011.• Tanaka, Akihiko (2013). JICA and ASEAN: Ready for the Challenges Ahead.• Caballero-Anthony, Mely (2010). Non-Traditional Security Challenges, Regional Governance and the ASEAN Political-Security

Community.• Wood, Justin (2013). Riding the ASEAN Elephant.• Tan, See Sang (2013). Facilitating China-U.S. Relations in the Age of Rebalancing: ASEAN’s “Middle Power” Diplomacy.• Powney, Sam (2010) A Glance at the Bakground and Current Directions of Cultural Diplomacy in Eastern Asia.• Son, Nguyen Hung (2011). The ASEAN Political Security Community: Challenges and Prospect.

Websites• EAST ASIA SUMMIT (https://www.dfat.gov.au/asean/eas/)• ASEAN Official Website (www.asean.org)• Lee, Seong Min (2006) ASEAN: Brief History & Its Problems. Korean Minjok Leadership Academy. HTML:

http://www.zum.de/whkmla/sp/0607/seongmin/seongmin.html#establishment• Khoman, Thanat.(1992). ASEAN conception and evolution. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.• website: http://www.asean.org/news/item/asean-conception-and-evolution-by-thanat-khoman