ASEAN Essay Example For Students

ASEAN Essay Introduction Formed in the mid-1960s by five anti-Communist states, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) serves the Southeast Asia (SEA) region as a multilateral institution with the primary responsibility of promoting social and economic cooperation among its members and maintaining peace in the region. ASEAN is quite unique in that it is built upon a cultural respect for the authority of individual nations to control what goes on within their boarders with little complaint or judgement by those on the outside, or even within ASEAN. The decision making process of the group requires complete consensus or mufakat before any decision or action is taken by the Association. (Amer 1999, 1035) Several agreements, concords and treaties guide the actions of the members of ASEAN. The Declaration of ASEAN Concord specifically addresses the goals of managing disputes and expanding cooperation among members. (Amer 1999, 1035) The Bali Treaty provides more specific guides for confli ct management with regard to the peaceful settlement of disputes, and is open to both ASEAN and non-ASEAN members. (Amer 1999, 1035) Protocols have been amended to these two cornerstones of ASEAN participation, but their original purposes remain the same—maintain peace and stability between ASEAN members and within SEA. ASEAN has not developed into a wholly exclusive grouping of nations. It has remained a loosely co-operative and consultative group with its members equally pursuing bilateral links with each other and with the outside world. (Evans 196) It was formed so that regional countries could determine regional politics in a peaceful and respectful manner, and through expansion has encompassed every nation of SEA and is now expanding Northeast Asian partnerships. The 1990s saw an attitude of expansion within the members of ASEAN and this desire has continued into the new millennium. The initial expansion of ASEAN, as discussed below, was for the purpose of furthering the political and security desires of member states. Todays efforts to expand ASEAN also seek to security and political stability, but the potential for increased trade and economic stability is a major consideration. As this paper will show, ASEAN should take care in future expansions unless it is prepared to manage the potential instituation instabilities resulting from continued economic incongruencies and other management impediments resulting from a larger ASEAN. Initial Expansion of ASEANASEANs initial five members were Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. In the 1990s, ASEAN sought to expand its membership as the result of relatively normalized relations in the region, therefore seeking to include Laos, Burma, Vietnam and Cambodia. Cambodia was the la st member to join in 1999 due to its internal instabilities that ASEAN was unprepared to deal with. The initial expansion of ASEAN was the result of the gradual rapprochement between the ASEAN members and Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and Vietnam respectively. (Amer 1999, 1038)DriversThe initial drivers for the initial expansion of ASEAN were political and security related. Economic benefits were in the minds of the new members, but this was not a key driver in the initial expansion in the minds of the established members of ASEAN. Overcoming the historic animosity that existed between ASEAN and the Indo-chinese nations of Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Vietnam, was a huge hurdle during the time leading up to the initial expansion of ASEAN. ASEAN sought a relationship with these new countries through the process of constructive engagement serving to engage these potentially threatening and assertive neighbors into peaceful relations thus increasing the security of the region. Fulfilling the ASE AN notion of One Southeast Asia was the underlying political rationale for initiating the process of membership expansion. (Amer 1999, 1032) This was seen as a step to improve relations between ASEANs original 6 and these four new nations making all parties part of the desired One SEA region. As mentioned above, economic considerations were not key drivers in the initial expansion, at least not for the members of ASEAN. Their goals were primarily to engage their potentially dangerous neighbors and improve political relations in their region. However, the new members were undoubtedly very interested in the potential for their new ASEAN partners to be foreign investors and major trading partners in their economies. Impact of Initial ExpansionThe initial expansion of ASEAN brought historic enemies into the peaceful fold of ASEAN, yet the potential existed and still exists for fragmentation based on the various ideals and interests of the participants. ASEAN was initially formed as an anti-Communist protectionary alliance, but now with such members such as Vietnam and the formerly Khmer Rouge-run Cambodia, the membership has much higher potential for a difference of authoritarian opinion thus making the expansion of ASEAN an exercise in conflict management. (Amer 1999, 1040)A dditionally, the wide range of economic development between the established and new members had the potential to cause problems especially as Asia entered into the stressful financial crisis of the late 1990s.The initial expansion of ASEAN accomplished its goal of engaging potentially dangerous neighbors into a relatively peaceful situation, but it did little else. ASEAN remained a weak regional institution with potentially more problems now then pre-expansion. Current Expansion of ASEANASEAN has recently been looking North in recognition that the region could be much stronger and influential in world affairs if the three major Asian powers up north are eventually brought into the regional picture. (Teo 2000) The expansion of ASEAN to 10 in the 1990s faced the Association with political, economic and social incongruencies that it has not been able to address, and ASEAN members are currently facing domestic tensions in most of their countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, and Malaysia. The newest wave of expansion involves expanding ASEAN into an ASEAN +3 position. ASEAN is seeking to involve China, Japan and South Korea in its Association to improve regional security, economic, and political positions. Racial Profiling EssayEvans, Gareth and Bruce Grant. 1995. Australias Foreign Relations. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. Jeyasingam, Jothi. 2001. Express trade expands ASEAN. New Straits Times-Management Times, January 9, 2001. Suryodinigrat, Meidyatama. 1999. ASEAN stresses the importance of regional security.Jakarta Post, July 24, 1999. Teo, Eric. 2000. ASEAN needs East Asian Regionalism. Jakarta Post, August 30, 2000.