POLITICAL SCIENCE : ASEAN
503
ABHISHEK KUMAR
SECTION A
503
PREFACE…………..
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………..
1. INTRODUCTION………………
2. HISTORY OF ASEAN………….
3. AIMS & OBJECTIVE……………
4. MEETINGS……………..
5. CHARTER……………..
6. OTHER ACTIVITIES………….
7. CRITICISM……………….
CONCLUSION…………………..
BIBILIOGRAPHY…………….
APPENDIX………….
ASEAN
I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without the kind support and help of many individuals who devoted their valuable time in completion of this project. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them.
I am highly indebted to our Political Science teacher Dr. S.P. SINGH sir for their guidance and constant supervision as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project & also for their support in completing the project.
I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents for their kind co-operation and encouragement which help me in completion of this project.
I would like to express my special gratitude and thanks to library staffs for giving me such attention, time and co-operation.
My thanks and appreciations also go to my colleague in developing the project and people who have willingly helped me out with their abilities.
The Term Paper on Project Planning Templates
Max Lionel realty (MLR), in order to build customer good will and satisfy its legal and ethical obligations, has decided to implement a program to: Inform agent of legal and ethical obligations ( particularly with respect to WHS and anti-discrimination legislation) and any standards or codes of conduct followed by the organization Promote high standards in professional conduct ( see Real Estate ...
1. INTRODUCTION
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations[1] (ASEAN) is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore andThailand.[2] Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include acceleratingeconomic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.[3]
ASEAN covers a land area of 4.46 million km², which is 3% of the total land area of Earth, and has a population of approximately 600 million people, which is 8.8% of the world’s population. The sea area of ASEAN is about three times larger than its land counterpart. In 2010, its combined nominal GDP had grown to US$1.8 trillion.[4] If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the ninth largest economy in the world, behind the United States,China, Japan, Germany, France, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
ASEAN now has a Charter, which came into force in December 2008. The Charter provides ASEAN with a legal personality, and also provides for better coordinated and cohesive regional cooperation mechanisms. Under the Charter, ASEAN now has human rights bodies: the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children.
Regional cooperation is coordinated by community councils for each of the three communities (ASEAN Political & Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community).
Progress (and challenges) in implementation is reported to the ASEAN Heads of State/Government. The ASEAN leaders meet twice annually, in the country chairing ASEAN. ASEAN chairmanship rotates annually.
1. ^ “Overview”. ASEAN. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
2. ^ Bangkok Declaration. Wikisource. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
The Term Paper on ASEAN Community 2
In 2003, leaders from the ASEAN bloc of nations agreed to establish an ASEAN Community by 2020, comprising three pillars, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Subsequently, they decided to hasten the establishment of the AEC to 2015. The AEC is an initiative to transform the region into an area with free movement ...
3. ^ Asean.org, Overview, Asean.org, ASEAN Secretariat official website. Retrieved 12 June 2006.
4. ^ EC.Europa.eu, European Union Relations with ASEAN. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
The Secretary-General of ASEAN5 facilitates and monitors the implementation of ASEAN agreements and decsions. He submits an annual report to the ASEAN Summit. He is appointed by the ASEAN Summit for a non-renewable term of office of five years, selected from among nationals of the ASEAN Member States based on alphabetical rotation. The Secretary-General of ASEAN for 2008-2012 is Dr Surin Pitsuwan from Thailand. The Secretary-General is assisted in his work by the ASEAN Secretariat (based in Jakarta).
The Secretariat’s basic function is to provide for “greater efficiency in the coordination of ASEAN organs and for more effective implementation of ASEAN projects and activities”.
ASEAN has 10 Dialogue Partners (Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, United States) , and also has partnerships with the United Nations and several of its respective specialised agencies. ASEAN holds UN observer status since 2006.
5.”About ASEAN.” ASEAN Studies Centre. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://asc.iseas.edu.sg/about-us/about-asean>.
2. HISTORY OF ASEAN
ASEAN was preceded by an organisation called the Association of Southeast Asia, commonly called ASA, an alliance consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand that was formed in 1961. The bloc itself, however, was established on 8 August 1967, when foreign ministers of five countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – met at the Thai Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok Declaration. The five foreign ministers – Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the Philippines, Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand – are considered the organisation’s Founding Fathers.[6]The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members’ governing elite could concentrate on nation building, the common fear of communism, reduced faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960s, and a desire for economic development; not to mention Indonesia’s ambition to become a regional hegemon through regional cooperation and the hope on the part of Malaysia and Singapore to constrain Indonesia and bring it into a more cooperative framework.Papua New Guinea was accorded Observer status in 1976 and Special Observer status in 1981.[7] Papua New Guinea is a Melanesian state. ASEAN embarked on a program of economic cooperation following the Bali Summit of 1976. This floundered in the mid-1980s and was only revived around 1991 due to a Thai proposal for a regional free trade area. The bloc grew when Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member on 8 January 1984, barely a week after gaining independence on 1 January.[8]
The Essay on Malaysia Economic Analysis
Malaysian economic strength is due to various factors including strong trading partners, controlled inflation, and positive balance of trade. Malaysia has the best facilities in healthcare. The government spends a lot on subsidizing infant industries, social security and education. Although the Malaysian government promotes privatization and market economy, the economy is to some extent regulated ...
It was a short, simply-worded document containing just five articles. It declared the establishment of an Association for Regional Cooperation among the Countries of Southeast Asia to be known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and spelled out the aims and purposes of that Association. These aims and purposes were about cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, and in the promotion of regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. It stipulated that the Association would be open for participation by all States in the Southeast Asian region subscribing to its aims, principles and purposes. It proclaimed ASEAN as representing “the collective will of the nations of Southeast Asia to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity.”
6. ^ Bernard Eccleston, Michael Dawson, Deborah J. McNamara (1998). The Asia-Pacific Profile. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-415-17279-9.
7. ^ “ASEAN secretariat”. ASEAN. 23RD JULY 1999. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
8. ^ “Background Note:Brunei Darussalam/Profile:/Foreign Relations”. United States State Department. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
It was while Thailand was brokering reconciliation among Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia over certain disputes that it dawned on the four countries that the moment for regional cooperation had come or the future of the region would remain uncertain. Recalls one of the two surviving protagonists of that historic process, Thanat Khoman of Thailand: “At the banquet marking the reconciliation between the three disputants, I broached the idea of forming another organization for regional cooperation with Adam Malik. Malik agreed without hesitation but asked for time to talk with his government and also to normalize relations with Malaysia now that the confrontation was over. Meanwhile, the Thai Foreign Office prepared a draft charter of the new institution. Within a few months, everything was ready. I therefore invited the two former members of the Association for Southeast Asia (ASA), Malaysia and the Philippines, and Indonesia, a key member, to a meeting in Bangkok. In addition, Singapore sent S. Rajaratnam, then Foreign Minister, to see me about joining the new set-up. Although the new organization was planned to comprise only the ASA members plus Indonesia, Singapore’s request was favorably considered.”
The Essay on Group Member Members Meeting Work
Point 2. Problem: A major problem in groups is members' viewpoints and discussion items are not heard. The member is not considered part of the group so they don't offer any items of contribution. Solution: To overcome these problems the group needs to look at the following points. 1. All members within the group are on the same playing field. The chairperson is only for conducting the meeting and ...
And so in early August 1967, the five Foreign Ministers spent four days in the relative isolation of a beach resort in Bang Saen, a coastal town less than a hundred kilometers southeast of Bangkok. There they negotiated over that document in a decidedly informal manner which they would later delight in describing as “sports-shirt diplomacy.” Yet it was by no means an easy process: each man brought into the deliberations a historical and political perspective that had no resemblance to that of any of the others. But with goodwill and good humor, as often as they huddled at the negotiating table, they finessed their way through their differences as they lined up their shots on the golf course and traded wisecracks on one another’s game, a style of deliberation which would eventually become the ASEAN ministerial tradition.
3. AIMS & OBJECTIVE
In the 1960s, the push for decolonisation promoted the sovereignty of Indonesia and Malaysia among others. Since nation building is often messy and vulnerable to foreign intervention, the governing elite wanted to be free to implement independent policies with the knowledge that neighbours would refrain from interfering in their domestic affairs. Territorially small members such as Singapore and Brunei were consciously fearful of force and coercive measures from much bigger neighbours like Indonesia and Malaysia. “Through political dialogue and confidence building, no tension has escalated into armed confrontation among ASEAN member countries since its establishment more than three decades ago”.[10]
The Essay on Member State States Countries Integration
... by the ASEAN Summit, the meeting of the member's leaders, and followed by ministerial bodies which are composed of the ministers of each member state in ... by 34 leaders of the continent. Trade ministers have been meeting regularly since ... free trade zone. In 1994 the summit of the Americas, hosted by Pres. Bill Clinton, was held in Miami and was attended ...
The ASEAN way can be traced back to the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. “Fundamental principles adopted from this included:
* mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations;
* the right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;
* non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;
* settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;
* renunciation of the threat or use of force; and
* effective cooperation among themselves”.[11]
On the surface, the process of consultations and consensus is supposed to be a democratic approach to decision making, but the ASEAN process has been managed through close interpersonal contacts among the top leaders only, who often share a reluctance to institutionalise and legalise co-operation which can undermine their regime’s control over the conduct of regional co-operation. Thus, the organisation is chaired by the secretariat.[12]
9. ^ “Overview Association of Southeast Asian Nations”, Retrieved on 27 July 2009.
10. ^ “Overview Association of South East Asian Nations”, Retrieved on 27 July 2009.
11. ^ “Association of South East Asian Nations”. Microsoft Encarta. Archived from the original on 31 October 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
All of these features, namely non-interference, informality, minimal institutionalisation, consultation and consensus, non-use of force and non-confrontation have constituted what is called the ASEAN Way. This ASEAN Way has recently proven itself relatively successful in the settlements of disputes by peaceful manner realm, with Chinese and ASEAN officials agreeing to draft guidelines ordered to avert tension in the South China Sea, an important milestone ending almost a decade of deadlock.[13][14]
The Term Paper on Alcoholics Anonymous Aa Meetings Members Alcohol
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935 by a stockbroker named Bill, and a surgeon Dr. Bob who were both hopeless alcoholics. The two had initially both belonged to the Oxford Group, a nonalcoholic fellowship headed by an Episcopal clergyman, Dr. Samuel Shoemaker. Dr. Shoemaker and an old friend Ebay together helped Bill to get sober. Bill was also helped by working with other alcoholics. ...
Despite this success, some academics continue to argue that ASEAN’s non-interference principle has worsened efforts to improve in the areas of Burma, human rights abuses and haze pollution in the region. Meanwhile, with the consensus-based approach, every member in fact has a veto and decisions are usually reduced to the lowest common denominator. There has been a widespread belief that ASEAN members should have a less rigid view on these two cardinal principles when they wish to be seen as a cohesive and relevant community.
12. ^ China, ASEAN agree on plans to solve South China Sea dispute CNN, Kathy Quiano, 21 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011
13. ^ a b China signs S.China Sea guidelines, seeks to turn page on row Reuters, Michael Martina, 21 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011
4. MEETINGS
* ASEAN Summit
The organisation holds meetings, known as the ASEAN Summit, where heads of government of each member meet to discuss and resolve regional issues, as well as to conduct other meetings with other countries outside of the bloc with the intention of promoting external relations.
The ASEAN Leaders’ Formal Summit was first held in Bali, Indonesia in 1976. Its third meeting was held in Manila in 1987 and during this meeting, it was decided that the leaders would meet every five years.[15] Consequently, the fourth meeting was held in Singapore in 1992 where the leaders again agreed to meet more frequently, deciding to hold the summit every three years.[15] In 2001, it was decided to meet annually to address urgent issues affecting the region. Member nations were assigned to be the summit host in alphabetical order except in the case of Burma which dropped its 2006 hosting rights in 2004 due to pressure from the United States and the European Union.[16]
By December 2008, the ASEAN Charter came into force and with it, the ASEAN Summit will be held twice in a year.
The formal summit meets for three days. The usual itinerary is as follows:
* Leaders of member states would hold an internal organisation meeting.
* Leaders of member states would hold a conference together with foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
* A meeting, known as ASEAN Plus Three, is set for leaders of three Dialogue Partners (People’s Republic of China, Japan, South Korea)
* A separate meeting, known as ASEAN-CER, is set for another set of leaders of two Dialogue Partners (Australia, New Zealand)
ASEAN Summits held once or twice a year in a same venue/host nation. Example, Indonesia is the host for 2011 ASEAN Summit; all summits, formal or informal this year 2011 must be held in Indonesia.
During the fifth Summit in Bangkok, the leaders decided to meet “informally” between each formal summit:[15]
14. ASEAN Structure, ASEAN Primer
15. Denis Hew (2005). Roadmap to an Asean Economic Community. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 981-230-347-2.
* EAST-ASEAN Summit
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a pan-Asian forum held annually by the leaders of 16 countries in East Asia and the region, with ASEAN in a leadership position. The summit has discussed issues including trade, energy and security and the summit has a role in regional community building.
The members of the summit are all 10 members of ASEAN plus China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. These nations represent nearly half of the world’s population. In October 2010, Russia and the United States were formally invited to participate as full members, with presidents of both countries to attend the 2011 summit.[17]
The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December 2005 and subsequent meetings have been held after the annual ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting.
* Commemorative summit
A commemorative summit is a summit hosted by a non-ASEAN country to mark a milestone anniversary of the establishment of relations between ASEAN and the host country. The host country invites the heads of government of ASEAN member countries to discuss future cooperation and partnership.
* Regional Forum
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is a formal, official, multilateral dialogue in Asia Pacific region. As of July 2007, it is consisted of 27 participants. ARF objectives are to foster dialogue and consultation, and promote confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the region.[18] The ARF met for the first time in 1994. The current participants in the ARF are as follows: all the ASEAN members, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, the European Union, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, East Timor, United States and Sri Lanka.[19] The Republic of China (also known as Taiwan) has been excluded since the establishment of the ARF, and issues regarding the Taiwan Strait are neither discussed at the ARF meetings nor stated in the ARF Chairman’s Statements.
17. . “Invitation to US & Russia”. Asean.org. 30 October 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
18. About Us, ASEAN Regional Forum official website. Retrieved 12 June 2006.
19. Official Website of Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
* Other meetings
Aside from the ones above, other regular[20] meetings are also held.[21] These include the annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting[22] as well as other smaller committees.[23] Meetings mostly focus on specific topics, such as defence[20] or the environment,[20][24] and are attended by Ministers, instead of heads of government.
* Another Three
The ASEAN Plus Three is a meeting between ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea, and is primarily held during each ASEAN Summit.
Asia-Europe Meeting
The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an informal dialogue process initiated in 1996 with the intention of strengthening cooperation between the countries of Europe and Asia, especially members of theEuropean Union and ASEAN in particular.[25] ASEAN, represented by its Secretariat, is one of the 45 ASEM partners. It also appoints a representative to sit on the governing board of Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), a socio-cultural organisation associated with the Meeting.
ASEAN-Russia Summit
The ASEAN-Russia Summit is an annual meeting between leaders of member states and the President of Russia.
ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
The 44th annual meeting will be held in Bali on 16 to 23 July 2011. Indonesia will propose a unified ASEAN travel visa to ease travel within the region for citizens of ASEAN member states.[26]
19. ASEAN Calendar of Meetings and Events November 2006, ASEAN Secretariat. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
20. BBC country profile/Asean leaders, BBC. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
21. ASEAN Ministerial Meetings, ASEAN Secretariat. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
22. Asean.org, ASEAN Secretariat. Retrieved 16 March 2007.
23. “Malaysians have had enough of haze woes”. The Malaysian Bar. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
24. Lay Hwee Yeo (2003). Asia and Europe: the development and different dimensions of ASEM. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-415-30697-3.
25. “A Unified ASEAN Travel Visa”. Philstar.com. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
26. “A Unified ASEAN Travel Visa”. Philstar.com. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
5. CHARTER
On 15 December 2008 the members of ASEAN met in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta to launch a charter, signed in November 2007, with the aim of moving closer to “an EU-style community”.[27] The charter turns ASEAN into a legal entity and aims to create a single free-trade area for the region encompassing 500 million people. “The fundamental principles include:
a) respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all ASEAN Member States;
b) shared commitment and collective responsibility in enhancing regional peace, security and prosperity;
c) renunciation of aggression and of the threat or use of force or other actions in any manner inconsistent with international law;
d) reliance on peaceful settlement of disputes;
e) non-interference in the internal affairs of ASEAN Member States;
f) respect for the right of every Member State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion and coercion;
g) enhanced consultations on matters seriously affecting the common interest of ASEAN;
h) adherence to the rule of law, good governance, the principles of democracy and constitutional government;
i) respect for fundamental freedoms, the promotion and protection of human rights, and the promotion of social justice;
j) upholding the United Nations Charter and international law, including international humanitarian law, subscribed to by ASEAN Member States;
k) abstention from participation in any policy or activity, including the use of its territory, pursued by and ASEAN Member State or non-ASEAN State or any non-State actor, which threatens the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political and economic stability of ASEAN Member States;
l) respect for the different cultures, languages and religions of the peoples of ASEAN, while emphasising their common values in the spirit of unity in diversity;
m) the centrality of ASEAN in external political, economic, social and cultural relations while remaining actively engaged, outward-looking, inclusive and non-discriminatory; and
n) adherence to multilateral trade rules and ASEAN’s rules-based regimes for effective implementation of economic commitments and progressive reduction towards elimination of all barriers to regional economic integration, in a market-driven economy”.[28]
27. “‘Momentous’ day for ASEAN as charter comes into force”. Agence France-Presse. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
28. Association of South East Asian Nations.: “The ASEAN Charter”, December 2007, p.6-7, ISBN 978-979-3496-62-7. Retrieved on 27 July 2009.
5. OTHER ACTIVITIES
University Network
* The ASEAN University Network (AUN) is a consortium of Southeast Asian universities. It was originally founded in November 1995 by 11 universities within the member states.[29] Currently AUN comprises 26 Participating Universities.[30]
* The Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (SEED-NET) Project, was officially established as an autonomous sub-network of the ASEAN University Network (AUN) in April 2001′. AUN/SEED-Net aimed at promoting human resources development in engineering in ASEAN. The Network consists of 19 leading Member Institutions (selected by the Ministries in charge of higher education of respective countries) from 10 ASEAN countries with the support of 11 leading Japanese Supporting Universities (selected by Japanese Government).
AUN/SEED-Net is mainly supported by the Japanese Government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and partially supported by the ASEAN Foundation. AUN/SEED-Net activities are implemented by the AUN/SEED-Net Secretariat with the support of the JICA Project for AUN/SEED-Net, now based at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
Scholarship
The ASEAN Scholarship is a scholarship program offered by Singapore to the 9 other member states for secondary school, junior college, and university education. It covers accommodation, food, medical benefits & accident insurance, school fees, and examination fees.[31]
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games is under regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia.
ASEAN Para Games
The ASEAN Para Games is a biennial multi-sport event held after every Southeast Asian Games for athletes with physical disabilities. The games are participated by the 11 countries located in Southeast Asia. The Games, patterned after the Paralympic Games, are played by physically challenged athletes with mobility disabilities, visual disabilities.
ASEAN 2030 FIFA World Cup bid
January 2011: As a result of ASEAN Foreign ministers at Lombok meeting, they agreed bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030 as a single entity.[32]
May 2011: ASEAN will go ahead with its bid for the FIFA 2030 World Cup. It was a follow up to the agreement reached in January before.[33]
29. “ASEAN University Network/Agreement”. Aun-sec.org. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
30. “ASEAN University Network/Board Member”. Aun-sec.org. Archived from the original on 31 July 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
31. “Ministry of Education, Singapore: ASEAN Scholarships”. Moe.gov.sg. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
32. Challenges to ASEAN’s bid to host W. Cup http://www.thejakartapost.com/print/302457
33. “Asean to proceed with bid for 2030 Fifa World Cup”. Straits Times. Singapore. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
6. CRITICISM
Non-ASEAN countries have criticised ASEAN for being too soft in its approach to promoting human rights and democracy in the junta-led Burma.[34] Despite global outrage at the military crack-down on peaceful protesters in Yangon, ASEAN has refused to suspend Burma as a member and also rejects proposals for economic sanctions.[35] This has caused concern as the European Union, a potential trade partner, has refused to conduct free trade negotiations at a regional level for these political reasons.[36] International observers view it as a “talk shop”,[37] which implies that the organisation is “big on words but small on action”.[38][39] However, leaders such as the Philippines’ Foreign Affairs Secretary, Alberto Romulo, said it is a workshop not a talk shop.[40] Others have also expressed similar sentiment.[41]
Head of the International Institute of Strategic Studies – Asia, Tim Huxley cites the diverse political systems present in the grouping, including many young states, as a barrier to far-reaching cooperation outside the economic sphere. He also asserts that in the absence of an external threat to rally against with the end of the Cold War, ASEAN has begun to be less successful at restraining its members and resolving border disputes such as those between Burma and Thailand and Indonesia and Malaysia.[42]
During the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, several activist groups staged anti-globalisation and anti-Arroyo rallies.[43] According to the activists, the agenda of economic integration would negatively affect industries in the Philippines and would cause thousands of Filipinos to lose their jobs.[44] They also viewed the organisation as imperialistic that threatens the country’s sovereignty.[44] A human rights lawyer from New Zealand was also present to protest about the human rights situation in the region in general.
34. “ADB president calls for building Asian economic integration”. Peace Journalism. 3 January 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
35. “Japan Cancels Burma Grant”. Associated Press. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
36. ^ Silp, Sai (15 February 2007). “Burma an Issue in Asean-EU Trade Talks”. The Irawaddy News Magazine Online Edition. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
37. ^ “Malaysian foreign minister says ASEAN is no ‘talk shop'”. Asian Political News. 5 December 2005. Retrieved 6 March 2007.[dead link]
38. ^ “BBC Country/International Organisation Profile: Association of Southeast Asian Nations”. BBC News. 11 January 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
39. ^ Huntington, Samuel. The Clash of Civilizations and the remaking of a New World Order.
40. ^ “Romulo defends ASEAN as a workshop, not a talkshop – The Philippine Star » News » Headlines”. Philstar.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
41. ^ McLean, John. “Will ASEAN’s New Charter Bring Greater Cooperation?”. Development Asia. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
42. ^ ASEAN’s Mixed Bag
43. ^ “About 100 militants stage protest vs Asean Summit in Cebu”. GMA News. 13 January 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
44. ^ a b “ASEAN protests in Cebu will also underscore massive opposition to Charter Change”. Kilusang Mayo Uno. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
The regional grouping ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)45 is often not sufficiently recognised for its accomplishments. When ASEAN was formed in Bangkok in 1967 by the five founding states, Indonesian confrontation against Malaysia of 1962-66 had only just ended, the Philippines still had an outstanding claim for the Malaysian state of Sabah, and Malaysia and Singapore had just gone through an acrimonious separation in 1965. The fact these countries could meet, move on and cooperate is reflective of great statesmanship. If it is remembered, further, that apart from these then-recent problems, there was also a sticking point in the discussions over the existence of foreign bases in the region, which almost led to a walkout from the talks in Bangkok by the Singapore delegation46, it will be better appreciated how in its very establishment ASEAN signalled a major regional achievement.
45. Presently comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and
Vietnam
46. As related to the writer on 27 February 2009 by S.R. Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore, then a member of
the Singapore delegation
BOOKS:-
* Explaining Asean: Regionalism in Southeast Asia by Shaun Narine
* ASEAN enlargement: impacts and implications by Mya Than, Carolyn Gates – 2001 – 378 pages
ELECTRONIC DATABASE:-
*
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Southeast_Asian_Nations
* http://www.aseansec.org/
