ASEAN at 40: Prospects for Community Building in Southeast Asia

In 2007, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations attempted to celebrate its 40^th founding anniversary with a bang as it was about to set another milestone, which is the signing of the ASEAN Charter. However, the celebration was overshadowed by the political crisis in Myanmar following the military's crackdown on protesting monks and their democratic supporters. The inability of ASEAN to influence events in that country became the focus of public attention in the region and the international community. Even the much-vaunted milestone of finally having an ASEAN Charter was a major disappointment for many in Southeast Asia as the final document signed by ASEAN leaders was everything but bold, forward-looking, and transformative. It became an object of criticism mainly by some think tanks and civil society groups in the region because it paled in comparison to the recommendations of the Eminent Persons Group that drafted the blueprint of what the ASEAN Charter should look like.

This article describes the major milestones and turning points of ASEAN's regionalism project over the last forty years. It also attempts to identify the major issues and challenges to ASEAN's community building efforts in the future. The main argument of this article is that ASEAN's continuing relevance to the people of the region can be ensured only if it seriously opens up to greater participatory regionalism. Only then can ASEAN be transformed into a truly people-centered organization.     

解析东盟共同体建设新思路

东盟近年来颁布了一系列文件,对东盟共同体的建设内容、建设目标、建设原则等作出了相关规定,从中可以看出东盟共同体建设独具特色,现有地区主义理论无法对此做出完满解释.东盟共同体建设之路是一场正在进行中的新型地区治理实验,它给地区一体化提供了一种新思路.     

Moving Towards an ASEAN Economic Community

Why are the ASEAN economies increasingly becoming anxious about regional integration? To stay competitive is an obvious answer. Greater cohesion is also imperative for ASEAN to sustain its credibility of being able to provide the platform for interactions in East Asia and the rest of the world. Yet what is offered by the ASEAN Free Trade Area, the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services, and the ASEAN Investment Area may not be adequate or comprehensive enough for the Association to amass the economic clout commensurate with its position as a pivotal player in East Asia. The ASEAN Economic Community is thus the logical, but not automatic, extension of these regional efforts. Can it come to fruition? This paper discusses how the ASEAN economies may address key issues that have hampered deeper economic integration in the region.     

ASEAN and the Creation of a Regional Community

After the ASEAN Concord II called for the building of an ASEAN Community in 2003, the creation of an ASEAN Community became a concrete part of the political agenda for the nations of Southeast Asia, and an ASEAN Community is scheduled to be created in 2015. However, it will all be for naught if the ASEAN Community that is established does not truly contribute to the stability and prosperity of the region. From this point of view, the article will attempt to evaluate the development of an ASEAN community concept and efforts to create it. To clarify the ideal of a true community, this article will take up Karl Deutsch's concept of “pluralistic security communities” and reconsider what a community requires. The article will state that the efforts to create an ASEAN Community should not be underestimated, and the blueprints for the creation of the ASEAN Community outline the formation of a true regional community. It will, however, conclude that in reality there exist factors within the ASEAN region that may shake the development of an ASEAN Community. It has to be said that the fostering of a sense of community at the level of ordinary people, as well as the creation of a community in which fundamental values and norms are shared, are distant propositions.     

东盟社会-文化共同体的建设及其对中国的意义

东盟社会—文化共同体以关注人的发展与安全、环境和自然资源的可持续性以及在保护多元文化的基础上培养地区认同为特征。其建设思路如下以东盟经济共同体、安全共同体的建设来促进社会—文化共同体的建设;分块建设,扎实推进;走多元一体化道路;开放式建设社会—文化共同体。东盟社会—文化共同体建设对中国具有积极意义为中国扩大地区影响力、树立负责任的大国形象提供了新的舞台;为中国落实科学发展观提供了新的机遇;为东亚地区一体化建设提供了有益思路,从而有利于中国地区合作战略的实现。     

东盟地区治理进程中的制度构建

新的治理理论强调参与、伙伴、磋商与共识,这在很大程度上体现出一种与东南亚推行“软”地区一体化相吻合的趋势。亚洲金融危机以来,东南亚经历了深刻的制度变迁,建立在各国和谐共生基础上的软治理模式日益成为地区合作的新动力。基于地区综合安全的思考,也需要在国际制度层面寻求构建东南亚自身的制度框架。     

外交共同体:东盟外交文化的形成与实践——评《东盟外交共同体:主体及表现》

暨南大学东南亚研究所王子昌教授的新著《东盟外交共同体:主体及表现》,以专题的形式对东南亚国家的独立和东盟成立以来的整体外交进行了系统梳理,研究了东盟是如何通过整合自身力量形成外交共同体并在此基础上与外界进行交往的历史.该书不仅在宏观叙事上把握得当,具备较高的学术价值,而且还通过对具体案例的研究展示了其潜在的应用价值,是东盟外交领域一本具有开创性意义的研究专著.     

东盟"安全共同体":从理论到实践

本文以理论与实践的互动分析为研究视角,概述了"安全共同体"的概念及其理论要义,尤其是建构主义重要的研究成果;阐释了东盟"安全共同体"的实践历程及其所依仗的重要的"东盟规范"和"东盟方式";分析了东盟建构自己的"安全共同体"所面临的严重挑战及其根本解决办法.     

论"东盟经济共同体": 必然性、可行性与挑战

本文主要从三个方面对"东盟经济共同体"构想进行分析,认为首先应了解"东盟经济共同体"是一个必然的趋势和必须的选择;而东盟合作机制的完善和区域经济一体化的加速则为"东盟经济共同体"提供了可行基础.但同时,东盟各成员国经济发展水平及贸易开放程度的差异、经济上较高的竞争性以及"东盟方式"也对其形成了一些挑战.因此,东盟最终会建成一个经济共同体,只是过程比较曲折.     

"东盟方式"与东盟地区一体化

东盟自成立以来逐渐形成了一套独特的组织和决策方式,即"东盟方式"."东盟方式"有利于东盟国家的政治合作,是东盟一体化初期阶段的重要基础.但是在"东盟方式"的制约下,东盟难以建立超国家权力机构,缺乏集体行动能力,因此不利于经济一体化的发展,也使东盟难以在经济和安全领域进行危机管理.认识到这一点,东盟正在尝试采取有限的改革措施.     

东盟意识面临的挑战

随着东盟的扩大和环境的变化,东盟意识也遇到了前所未有的挑战,即如何培养新成员国对东盟意识的深 度认同,如何应对日趋增多的跨国问题等。对泰国“灵活接触”政策倡议的个案分析表明,面对新的挑战,东盟老一辈领 导人仅愿意做十分有限的调整。     

一体化的条件与东盟的发展

强烈的收益预期和解除安全之忧是区域一体化的两个必要条件。但由于东南亚地区不具备这两个条件 ,因此东盟虽然经过 30多年的发展 ,仍然没有超出国家间合作的范围 ,其发展只能采取一种向外扩展的外延式发展模式。     

ASEAN Beyond 40

The vitality of ASEAN derives from its core. Until the mid 1990s, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand provided the dynamism of ASEAN and their national leaders the regional leadership so necessary for the Association??s existence. Entering its fifth decade, the Association seems posited at a ??mid-life crisis??. The ASEAN Charter has proposed bold ideas in community-building. Yet the ??loss?? of a strong leadership impetus has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the extent to which ASEAN may reduce the gap between the richer and poorer nations of Southeast Asia. The extant two-tiered nature of ASEAN is problematic to its cohesion as each with its defining set of characteristics and views of regionalism. Can the more structured approach make up the leadership deficit and enable ASEAN to reconcile the division in its quest for regional unity? The prolonged Myanmar embarrassment seems to suggest an unconfident ??yes?? at best.     

东盟再认识

东盟是一个具有广泛影响的地区性国际组织,它团结区域内外国家,为维护地区秩序、和平与稳定发挥了重要的作用,为促进地区政治、经济、安全及社会合作做出了重大贡献;东盟为区域内外国家开展广泛的合作提供了一个重要的对话平台,促进区域内外国家减少误会和增进相互理解;东盟也是一种地区意识,它使一个政治、经济、文化、民族与宗教均相当多元化的地区出现了共同的思想,在这种思想的旗帜下,东盟各国求同存异,有力地促进了本区域人民相互了解,增进友谊;东盟是发展中国家团结的典范,它为广大发展中国家树立了一个榜样,它以其成功的实践告诉人们,在全球化的时代,小国和弱国也应该有所作为,其根本出路就是团结与合作.     

东盟秘书处的改革

东南亚国家联盟实行以首脑会议和常务委员会为主导的决策机制和"全体一致"的决策原则.与之相适应,作为执行机构的东盟秘书处一直处于一种非核心的状态.随着国际局势的不断变化和地区合作的持续发展,东盟不断强化秘书处的执行功能.近年来,东盟秘书处的功能和权力得到加强,正朝着完整、独立和高效的行政机构的方向发展.这些变化对东盟成员的进一步合作将是有益的.     

Regional Integration in ASEAN: Institutional Design and the ASEAN Way

This paper investigates regional integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by analyzing the agreements developed within the ASEAN framework since its founding in 1967. This examination reveals that, although integration in ASEAN is certainly influenced by norms and values, the integration process can be best understood by intergovernmentalism. While many agreements have been developed within the ASEAN framework and have become more legalistic in nature, they tend to mostly be in functional areas and exhibit low levels of transparency and delegation. The design of ASEAN is indicative of an overriding concern for state sovereignty as a key strategic interest for member states.     

东盟在美国亚太战略中的地位及布什政府的东盟政策

在美国的对外战略中,东南亚是放在东亚的整体范围内进行考虑的,美国的东南亚政策是美国亚太战略的一个组成部分。本文从经济、政治、安全和区域合作四方面分析了东盟在美国亚太战略中的地位和作用,并介绍了布什政府上台后特别是“9·11”事件后美国东盟政策的变化。     

澳大利亚的东盟政策解析

东盟作为澳大利亚的近邻,在澳大利亚的对外政策中占据着重要地位.地缘政治特性、经济利益牵连、安全和防务因素使得与东盟关系成为澳大利亚最看重的对外关系之一.总体上看,澳大利亚的东盟政策经历了酝酿、成型、调整三个阶段.本文梳理了澳大利亚东盟政策的演变过程,分析了澳大利亚这个具有特殊地理位置与政治文化背景的国家如何试图在东南亚地区发挥作用,并分析了澳大利亚东盟政策的前景.     

ASEAN in a Globalizing World

In the early 1990s, ASEAN emerged from the Cold War as a confident regional organization. With the accession of Cambodia, it seemed to be fulfilling the aspirations of its founding fathers to expand membership to include all ten Southeast Asian countries. Since the Asian financial crisis of 1997, however, ASEAN's self-confidence has been dealt a severe blow and it faces unprecedented challenges to its current status and future prospects. In the following article, former Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas, examines the various issues facing ASEAN today, including the impact of the Asian crisis; the ramifications of socioeconomic and political crises in the affected ASEAN countries; the implications of the rapid and fundamental changes in the international and regional economic, political and security environment; and the enlargement of ASEAN membership. Despite questions over ASEAN's future role, Alatas asserts his belief in the continuing relevance of this regional forum to contribute to regional stability.