Rox

• Regionalism


  • Strengthened collective identity in a conglomerate of nations occupying a particular geographical area or aiming at shared goals
  • Resolving regional conflicts
  • Emergence of regional cooperation
  • Nations' commitment to their cultural identities
• Why Regionalism is a necessary phenomenon
• Resilience in a world which acknowledges superpower among particular states
• Global problems remained tackled in regional spheres
• Growing insecurity in regions require solutions from within these regions
• The collapse of alliance has led to regionalism & trans-regionalism trends
• Old Regionalism


  • Bipolar
  • Imposed by the superpowers
  • Secures economic security w/in alliances
  • Specific to economic & political objectives
  • Focused only on nation-states
• New Regionalism


  • Multipolar
  • Spontaneous & sought voluntarily by constituents
  • Open inasmuch as it's multipolar
  • Comprehensive & multidimensional
  • Involves non-state actors
• Region


  • As a geographical unit- a place, a physical environment
  • As a social system- a conglomerate of people occupying a particular space & possessing unique dynamics of interaction
  • As organized cooperation- a group of nations who agree to take part & form a formal organization
  • As a civil society- a network of cultural and social linkages among countries who voluntarily take part in a cooperation among nations
  • As an acting subject- a group of nations concerned about peace, welfare, and prosperity of its people
• Asia


  • Largest & most populated continent in the world
  • Geographically, it is separated from the European continent by the Urals, from Africa by the Suez Canal, from the North America by the Bering Strait
  • Cradle of several ancient civilizations, such as Chinese and Indian civilizations
  • Home of influential cultural, philosophical, and religious movement
  • Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and other oriental philosophies & religions originated from Asian countries
  • An economic force characterized by reduced poverty and fast pace economic devt
• New Regionalism

  • Multipolar
  • Spontaneous & sought voluntarily by constituents
  • Open inasmuch as it's multipolar
  • Comprehensive & multidimensional
  • Involves non-state actors
• Region as a

  • Geographical unit
  • Social system
  • Organized cooperation
  • Civil society
  • Acting subject
• Asia

  • Largest & most populated continent in the world
  • Geographically, it is separated from the European continent by the Urals, from Africa by the Suez Canal, from the North America by the Bering Strait
  • Cradle of several ancient civilizations, such as Chinese and Indian civilizations
  • Home of influential cultural, philosophical, and religious movement
  • Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and other oriental philosophies & religions originated from Asian countries
  • An economic force characterized by reduced poverty and fast pace economic devt
• Coastal Regions of Asia

  • Central Asia
  • East Asia
  • South Asia
  • Southeast Asia
  • Western Asia (Middle East)
• Coastal Regions of Asia


  • Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan)
  • East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North & South Korea, Taiwan)
  • South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal)
  • Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor Lester, Vietnam)
  • Western Asia (Middle East) (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen)
• Haruhiko Kuroda, president of Asian Development Bank, articulated that integration is contributory to the economic development experienced by Asian countries then
• Factors influential in the growing integration of Asia


  • Enhancing dialogue between citizens of various nations
  • Expanding intraregional trade & investments
  • Increased connectivity
• Market-friendly, multitrack, and multispeed approach of the Asian integration


  • Members can integrate based on their capacity vis-à-vis the available opportunities
  • It opens up for collaboration and merging of smaller groups
  • It is responsive to business and open markets
• Benefits of Asian Integration


  • It harnesses the strengths of diverse economies
  • It provides platform for connecting financial markets
  • It makes the economy more resilient to global risks
  • It pools resources
  • It creates regional mechanisms for safety & securirty
• Challenges of Asian Integration


  • The need to establish compatible product standards
  • The need to coordinate macroeconomic policies
  • The need to establish guidelines that buffer financial contagion & ensure compatible financial regulations
  • The need to manage cross-border environmental & social policies
• Amitav Acharya, professor of International Relations, pointed out several criticisms about Asian regional institutions
• Criticisms about Asian regional institutions


  • Neither truly contributed in resolving conflicts and disputes
  • Nor have used available mechanisms to resolve conflicts
  • They have failed to successfully establish trust-building w/in the region
  • No humanitarian mechanisms despite risk to calamities
• Cooperations in Asia


  • APEC- ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
  • EAS- EAST ASIAN SUMMET
  • APC- ASIA PACIFIC COMMUNITY
  • EAC- EAST ASIAN COMMUNITY
  • ASEAN- ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
  • APT-ASEAN PLUS THREE
• ASEAN


  Association of Southeast Asian Nations; a regional cooperation in the Southeast Asia
• Integration


  Establishment of formal process toward collaboration for shared economic and sociocultural goals
• The fragmented economies of Southeast Asia, with each country pursuing its own limited objectives and dissipating its meager resources in the overlapping or even conflicting endeavors of sister states carry the seeds of weakness in their incapacity for growth and their self-perpetuating dependence on the advanced, industrial nations. ASEAN, therefore, could marshal the still untapped potentials of this rich region through more substantial united action.
• In the early 1960s, there was already an emerging organization among Philippines, Thailand, and the Republic of Malaya in what was called the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA). It was established in July 31, 1961 by Thanat Khoman (Thailand), Felixberto Serrano (Philippines), and Tunku Abdul Raman (Malaya).
• In 1963, another confederation was formed, convened by then President Diosdado Macapagal. This was referred to as MAPHILINDO (Great Malayan Confederation), involving Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia, which aimed to unite "nations of Malay origins." This did not last very long and was terminated by Indonesia-Malaysia Konfrontasi- the former's policy arguing against the formation of the Federation of Malaysia.
• Four years after, representatives from Indonesia and Singapore, with those from three ASA member states, engaged in informal discussions in a coastal resort in Bang Saen, where they formulated the idea of a Southeas Asian cooperation. Thus, in August 8, 1967, these foreign ministers sat down in Bangkok, Thailand and signed the ASEAN Declaration.
• Thanat Khoman (1992), one of the founding fathers, articulated why SEA needed an organization for cooperation. First, the cooperation will repel new colonial powers from stepping in after old colonizers withdrew. Second, it is strategic to work with neighbors, with shared interest and identity, than with allies from distant lands (e.g., SEATO). Third, harnessing the strengths of member states will provide an advantage in dealing with bigger powers in potential conflicts. Most importantly, cooperation and integration enable achievement of goals which could be not accomplished alone.
• S. Rajaratnam (1992) profoundly describe what sets ASEAN apart from its Asian counterparts. He said: To compare ASEAN with the so-called Little Dragons of Asia is to compare unrelated political species. The Little Dragons are lone wolves hunting separately. They lack collective strength or awareness. With them it is a case of each wolf for itself. In the case of ASEAN, as integration proceeds, its strength will be the cohesiveness of over 300 million people with far greater resources than any of the lone baby dragons.
• Principles of ASEAN


  • Existence of shared problems and interests
  • Need for unity and cooperation
  • Shared aspirations and ideals ("peace, progress, and prosperity")
  • Shared responsibility for "economic and social responsibility"
  • Presence of foreign bases as temporary and with "concurrence from countries concerned"
• ASEAN Declarations


  • Establishment of ASEAN
  • Articulation of the aims and purpose of ASEAN
  • List of strategies and mechanisms to enable the achievement of the goals
  • Statement of openness for membership
  • Articulation of ASEAN as a collective representation of member states
• ASEAN Accords and Declarations


  • ASEAN Declaration (1967)
  • Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality Declaration (1971)
  • Declaration of ASEAN Concord (1976)
  • Manila Declaration (1987)
  • ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea (1992)
  • Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (Bangkok Treaty) (1995)
  • ASEAN Vision 2020 (1997)
  • Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism (2001)
• Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (Bangkok Treaty)


  December 15, 1995
• Bangkok Treaty


  • Calls for a moratorium on availment, development, and use of nuclear weapon in the SEA
  • Provides a set of protocols for monitoring compliance
• Haruhiko Kuroda

  President of Asian Development Bank
• Haruhiko Kuroda articulated that integration is contributory to the economic development experienced by Asian countries then
• Haruhiko Kuroda identified some factors which are influential in the growing integration at that time
• Enhancing dialogue between citizens of various nations

  1. Facilitated by growing tourism activities in the regions

  2. Facilitated by consistent multilateral meetings among leaders of nation-states

  3. Facilitated by regional infrastructure projects

  4. Facilitated by collaboration in delivering public goods