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5. ASEAN’s Track Two Diplomacy: Reconstructing Conflict Management 157 5 ASEAN’S TRACK TWO DIPLOMACY Reconstructing Regional Mechanisms of Conflict Management INTRODUCTION The previous chapter traced the development of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which has been ASEAN’s more recent initiative in adding more substance to its evolving mechanisms of conflict management. Two points from the foregoing discussion are relevant to this chapter’s theme on ASEAN’s track two diplomacy and to the overall objective of this study in tracing the elements beyond the ASEAN way. Firstly, while the ARF has often been regarded as an extension of the ASEAN way of diplomacy as well as a mechanism to manage conflict and regional security, one could argue that its establishment had in fact began to set in motion the thrust towards a more inclusive and/or participatory type of mechanism for conflict management. For a start, the ARF was established to be an inclusive forum, bringing together both like-minded and non-like-minded states in the broader Asia-Pacific region. The main objective was to encourage these states to have a stake in managing regional security. Secondly, and perhaps of more significance to the purpose of this study, is the fact that in developing the modalities of the ARF, particularly in the various processes that have emerged to move its agenda forward, the ARF and especially ASEAN have opened the doors for non-state actors to be part of the process(es) involved in adjusting their modalities beyond the ASEAN way. It is often observed that ASEAN is a highly state-centric organization and, in most of its initiatives in the diverse areas of regional co-operation, has not allowed non-state actors to be part of the processes involved in crafting these initiatives. This chapter will show that there have been perceptible changes in this regard by highlighting the roles played by non-governmental or non-official ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ 05 Reg Security Ch 5 24/1/05, 1:03 PM 157 158 REGIONAL SECURITY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: BEYOND THE ASEAN WAY institutions. As this chapter will show, ASEAN and its interaction with non-state actors portend towards a movement away from the conventional ASEAN way as these non-state actors, through their activism, have been increasingly able to affect policies and helped the nature of inter-state relations. When viewed against the liberal and constructivist framework of international relations, the influence that these new actors exert reflect the salience of regarding them as independent variables but nonetheless part of the regional processes that define regional approaches. Constructivism, specifically, allows us to identify these non-state actors as the “agents” who bring with them “ideas” that are critical in shaping state policies. Constructivism also alerts us to perceptible changes in attitudes and approaches within and among states that may be taking place as ideas find their way into concrete policies. These ideas add to the dynamics as state actors, and to a certain extent, non-state actors engage in the processes that bring about intersubjective understanding on how inter-state relations should be. Thus, these non-governmental channels become important building blocks in the formation and generation of intra-state and inter-state/regional policies. Think-tanks, academics, and members of the “unofficial” policy community make up many of these non-state actors. This chapter specially looks at the role of track two actors who work on security issues and have gained considerable attention through their involvement and participation in track two diplomacy. The term track two has been used broadly to refer to a network of academics, experts, members of the civil society, and government officials acting in their private capacities.1 Track two diplomacy, on the other hand, refers to unofficial contact and interaction aimed at resolving conflicts, both internationally and within states.2 Hence, it is important to recognize that track two actors and track two diplomacy are significant parts of the evolving mechanisms of conflict management in the region. Following from the above, it is useful to reiterate here the definition of mechanisms of conflict management adopted in this study, as discussed in Chapter 2. Mechanisms of conflict management are defined as “the processes, methods, devices, techniques and the strategies employed to resolve or manage conflict … and/or anything employed in the whole, oftentimes complicated process of resolving or managing conflicts.”3 Thus, in fitting in the track two’s role with the overall discussion on ASEAN’s evolving mechanisms of conflict management, this...

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