Regional Security in Southeast Asia: Beyond the ASEAN Way

2. ASEAN’S MECHANISMS OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: Revisiting the ASEAN Way

2. ASEAN’s Mechanisms of Conflict Management: Revisiting the ASEAN way 49 2 ASEAN’S MECHANISMS OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT Revisiting the ASEAN way INTRODUCTION This chapter will discuss the evolution of ASEAN’s mechanisms of conflict management (CM) by providing a historical narrative of ASEAN’s development as a regional organization. In revisiting these mechanisms, it is useful to bear in mind the various kinds of techniques and strategies that regional organizations use to manage or resolve conflict as discussed in the previous chapter. To reiterate, these mechanisms range from: norm-building, assurance, community-building, deterrence, nonintervention , isolation, intervention, and internationalization. Before we begin, it is helpful to highlight a number of significant points to consider in examining the way mechanisms are developed and how these mechanisms are used to manage conflicts. The first point to note is the classification of these various types of mechanisms. These mechanisms of CM can either be formally based on institutionalized methods or adopted informally with co-operation being tacit among member parties. A combination of both formal and informal methods can also be used. The next point to consider is that regardless of whether the mechanisms are formal or informal in nature, what is significant in assessing these mechanisms is the choice of which mechanism to deploy in certain times of crises. In this regard, the choice would also very much depend on the nature of the conflict itself and the kind of outcome desired. The third point to note is the feasibility of these mechanisms in practice and their relevance in managing conflicts at both domestic and regional levels. Muthiah Alagappa, whose classification of the types of mechanisms of CM formed the basis of this study, noted that while there is a range of mechanisms that should be easily available to regional ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ 02 Reg Security Ch 2 24/1/05, 1:00 PM 49 50 REGIONAL SECURITY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: BEYOND THE ASEAN WAY organizations — given the kind of communication and socialization that takes place among them — one needs to focus on the more important questions of whether these mechanisms are feasible in practice and whether these mechanisms are relevant in the context wherein they are used.1 In this regard, one might realize that for most regional organizations, choosing and determining which mechanisms are feasible and relevant would often be dependent on their respective institutional capacity. Indeed, unless regional organizations have the resources and capacities to undertake such tasks, the decision to choose from a range of mechanisms available would make the exercise moot and academic. There are also salient factors that would determine the feasibility and relevance of any chosen mechanism. These would include the degree to which member states abide or comply with regime norms and rules, and more significantly, the extent to which these norms have been institutionalized.2 This brings us to the other point of examining the objectives of an organization to enable us to understand its norms and institutions. This would help inform our analysis of the types of mechanisms available, the choice of which mechanism to use, and then proceed to assess its feasibility and relevance in managing conflicts at regional and domestic levels. Thus, if one were to weigh all these preliminary considerations in assessing the management or resolution of a particular conflict, it would not be surprising to discover that there are no clear guidelines or definitive framework from which a regional organization could work with. What is most often the case is that regional organizations eventually develop their own peculiar type of mechanisms for CM that are deemed appropriate to their own setting. This seems to be the case when applied to ASEAN. Since the situational context is no doubt a salient factor in any discussion of conflict mechanisms, it is only fitting to start this discussion by revisiting the historical leitmotif that has shaped the nature of these mechanisms. Hence, we begin this chapter with a brief overview of ASEAN’s history to provide the historical backdrop that had influenced and shaped its embryonic mechanisms of conflict management. I. ASEAN AND THE NEED FOR A REGIONAL MECHANISM OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT As noted in Chapter 1, one of the core reasons why regional security organizations are established is to ameliorate the insecurity complex of 02 Reg Security Ch 2 24/1/05, 1:00 PM 50 2. ASEAN’s Mechanisms of Conflict Management: Revisiting the ASEAN way 51 member...