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Introduction
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Chapter
- Additional Information
By: ROS Size: 7.5" x 10.25" J/No: 03-14474 Fonts: New Baskerville Introduction 73 INTRODUCTION Sree Kumar ASEAN has been, for most of its existence, an association of states focused on countering the threat of being swamped by the travails of Indochina and Myanmar. There was always the view that it was not a security organization, but one built on the political realities of being neighbours in a possibly unstable region. Yet, the initial record points to largely bilateral political relationships underpinned by attempts at regional economic cooperation . The 1990s saw significant changes to the initial arrangement. While the institutional strengthening of the organization took on an added importance, the political realities of the period saw the entry of new members — the Indochina countries, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and Myanmar. The challenges of absorbing states previously considered to be of a different hue were not lost on the older members. Mutual suspicions had to be overcome and acceding to the Bali Treaty by all new members became the cornerstone of acceptance within an enlarged ASEAN. But even more deep-seated concerns were voiced in the wide disparities in levels of development between the old and new members. The fear was that of having a two-tiered ASEAN. The changing ideological penumbra in Vietnam and new approaches to coping with the “ASEAN way” allowed it to become more readily involved in the organization. Vietnam’s trade with ASEAN and the rest of world has increased rapidly while investments, however, slowed after the financial crisis. Border issues have been addressed more amicably and in concert with the ASEAN approach to resolving disputes. The overall benefits of membership in ASEAN have been significant — entry into the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the important role of being in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) for security comfort. Myanmar’s entry into ASEAN has been challenging in several respects. It has added layers of complexity to ASEAN’s relationships with the European Union (EU) and the United States, with ASEAN having had to defend a position of “all or nothing” in the ASEAN-EU meetings. But even more testing has been the internal ASEAN view of not intervening in members’ domestic political workings. A new meaning to silent diplomacy has been added to the lexicon of “ASEAN speak” in understanding ASEAN’s approach to handling Myanmar. There was the fervent hope that a Myanmar 015 AR Section II 22/9/03, 12:40 PM 73 By: ROS Size: 7.5" x 10.25" J/No: 03-14474 Fonts: New Baskerville 74 Introduction within ASEAN would hasten political change and create a welcoming climate for greater co-operation with the neighbours. But this was not to be. The story of Myanmar’s dalliance with ASEAN continues to be written. Domestic political tides continue to wash the ASEAN shore with no clear prospects of the other members being able to send in a life raft to save the country from itself. Cambodia has been the late entrant. Internal political dissonance and learning to cope with ASEAN have been points of contention, and the transition into membership has been with some drama as it learned how international relations operate in the region. But Cambodia has now found a voice, and in a roundabout fashion — through the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). The GMS brings together the four new members of ASEAN, one old member — Thailand — and China. ASEAN itself has lent support to this arrangement by seeking to formalize it by calling it the Mekong Basin Development Cooperation initiative. The GMS seeks to create cross-border economic linkages through trade and investment facilitation, the development of supporting infrastructure, the sharing of water resources, application of new technology to improve communications, and to create markets within the common area. Many of these initiatives have already been commissioned, completed, or are in the process of being constructed. The soft developments such as knowledge transfer and education are more difficult to implement because of the different levels of human capital absorption within the GMS. But these are all important measures for the new members who have to learn to cope with the development challenges existing within their own territory. Many of these programmes require foreign investment or aid from multilateral agencies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Several lessons have emerged through this process. These include the ability to work together to overcome national interests, to negotiate with agencies, and...