Mira Permatasari, Bandung | Fri, 11/18/2011 8:46 AM A | A | A | - Klipping the Jakarta Post
For the third time in ASEAN’s history, Bali has been chosen as the place for ASEAN members to enhance the cooperation among themselves and their key partners. During the coming week, ASEAN will try to revitalize what has been gained in order to achieve the so-called ASEAN Community by 2015.
As one of the leading regional organizations in the world, ASEAN has been deemed one of the more stable and peaceful regions compared to others. Designed during the height of the Cold War, ASEAN was not rendered more relevant in every change taking place among the international political constellations. ASEAN’s crowning achievement is that in 44 years it has successfully prevented open warfare among its members and resolved various kinds of conflict and clashes in a peaceful manner.
Nevertheless, there have been many hiccups along its journey to preserve regional peace and stability. Indeed, Southeast Asia cannot avoid its vulnerability to interstate conflicts; but, ASEAN always attempts to find a win-win solution for all conflict parties.
In one of his speeches, former defense minister Juwono Sudarsono emphasized that the world had shifted from the West to the East. His words highlighted the reality that nowadays, international attention is primarily focused toward the Eastern part of the world. Toward China, for its enormous economic development; India, for its rapid growth in industrialization; newly industrialized countries (NICs), such as Japan and South Korea, for their stable economic development; and last but not least, ASEAN for its progressive changes and becoming more united in significant aspects.
It can be argued that ASEAN’s strong posture today has been boosted by its close relationship with its key partners. Having established the ASEAN+3, ASEAN+6, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the East Asian Community, ASEAN has assumed a commanding position in the political-security architecture in the region.
With the current rivalry between the US and China in trying to become the primary powerhouse in today’s world, ASEAN must attempt to be more proactive in playing its role with a broader perspective. At the same time, in the absence of any formal regional arrangement in East Asia among China, Japan, South and North Korea, ASEAN has to take this as a great opportunity to become the center of gravity of all forms of
arrangement in the region.
Some people have said that ASEAN has always been deemed the main vehicle to bring its members and regional neighbors together in seeking greater cooperation.
With the positive gesture made by three of ASEAN’s key partners, the US, Russia and China, in attending the ASEAN Summit this week, ASEAN must be fully aware of its importance and that it is an essential player in today’s world. If necessary, ASEAN may even have to play a little hard to get with great powers like China, the US and Russia.
US President Barack Obama’s arrival at the summit this week proved that the US will not let China stand alone in a dominant position in Asia. Russia shares this view. The world is fully aware that by having a closer relationship between China and ASEAN’s member states through the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), China is confident enough to challenge the incumbent superpower to collect Asian support.
Indeed, that would increase US suspicions about China’s intentions in Southeast Asia. It is this situation that has generated the US and Russia’s desire to become more involved in ASEAN’s affairs; otherwise, China will take the lead. That is the reason why those two countries have to “buy in” to ASEAN as their entry point, to at least slow down China’s pace in influencing the region.
Given this favorable situation, it is crucial for ASEAN to be more optimistic in gaining a more substantial position in global politics and security. Not only because ASEAN is the pivotal regional organization in East Asia, but also because ASEAN is now incredibly attractive to the great powers.
Once again, in between the great powers’ rivalry, ASEAN has to be opportunistic and take all its chances to become a global player. ASEAN also has to improve the relationships among its member states to establish more peaceful conditions and to eliminate any latent mistrust. ASEAN should seek ways to garner mutual interests among all members to enhance what has been done by ASEAN during the past 44 years.
The spirit of the ASEAN community and a sense of unity and belonging must be revitalized in order to achieve a fully fledged community. It is necessary for ASEAN to be more focused in creating a united entity in the region and then finally step up to the global level. In a speech given during the current summit by the leader of ASEAN’s current chair, Indonesia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stressed ASEAN had to become a common platform for resolving not only regional problems but also global issues.
The writer is a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung.
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| | | | | | | | Comments (10)
JA | Sun, 20/11/2011 - 00:11am
A sliding scale is an economic term, but has another application as well, and even more so, as it is called in human rights, as it has been affecting the entire region, outside the economy. No ID card can undo that.
http://sharejapan.org/id/
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JA | Sun, 20/11/2011 - 00:11am
The US is mainly concerned about the nature of democracy in Myanmar, that has been tolerated in the field of economic cooperation within the Asian compound to not make matters worse for its suppressed, this with the support from China, as it still has happened amid economic growth in the Middle East.
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schicklgruber | Sat, 19/11/2011 - 14:11pm
@RAHIM
you are on top of those people who create
an enemy stereotype but a ridiculous one.
Get over the crusades and move on.
China showed it's military strength
often:Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, Russia.
Europe:
can't pay it's bills and the need for cheap
energy is a big problem for decades. And I
doubt if this crisis will ever form a monolithic
superpower which you already assume as a reality.
All you know is the crusades and the holocaust -
which makes you narrow minded. Don't teach
me bogus history lessons as I am aware of the
shortcomings of the culture I live in.
Your idea that any reports on muslim topics
is unjust propaganda to prepare a invasion
of muslim countries is funny. Who is preaching
hate - German media or RAHIM ?
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Rahim | Sat, 19/11/2011 - 12:11pm
The new centre of gravity is not China. China would like to think they are, but in reality, most in the world see China as a threat (probably because they can't seem to do anything diplomatically - they're always so aggresive). As a result, China may grow economically and militarily; but the world will reject this, and China won't be able to sustain itself, and it will collapse again the way it was originally. I encourage the contributor below from Macau to actually think about what China is and what China stands for.
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access_access | Sat, 19/11/2011 - 09:11am
she IS hermann goering's granddaughter after all then; that's why she revels in telling people these days how great those nazis used to be in their halcyon days in any blogs she can find, although those blogs don't feature the might of those nazis and she has what they call a split-personality issue.
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Rahim | Sat, 19/11/2011 - 02:11am
Sorry: there are some spelling mistakes in my comment, but everybody knows what I mean (see below)
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Rahim: THE ANTISIMISM HAS ITS ORIGIN IN EUROPE | Sat, 19/11/2011 - 02:11am
Rahim from Germany: ANTISIMISM HAS ITS ORIGIN IN EUROPE
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I just want to add 2 or 3 important points: i.e. there were totally (7+1) 8 crusades against Islam. The first Crusade (26.11.1095 – 15.07.1099 = from the call of the Pope till the arrival of Crusaders in Palestine) was successful, all other failed. Now the Western countries are again trying the old tricks and strategies and once again they would fail. The Western culture is based on Crusaders´s mentality. They are not so civilized as you believe.
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THE TERMINOLOGY “HOLY WAR” DOES NOT EXIST IN ISLAM. The HOLY WAR is the invention of Christians Crusaders of the West. The Journalists in the Western media use it frequently, but in reality they are telling thick plain white lies. They have no compunction at all.
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They, the Crusaders (the West), killed the Jews (first in Europe and then in Palestine. They started killing the Jews in Worms, Mainz and Trier [all German cities], and in many parts of France), the Greek orthodox Christians, oriental Christians and many Muslims. To be clear: The first victims of the Holy Wars were Jews. The Crusades were the ignition point for the later virulent Anti-Semitism in Europe, though the New Testament contains many examples of Anti-Semitism. THE ANTI-SEMITISM IS NOT THE INVENTION OF MUSLIMS. THE ANTISIMISM HAS ITS ORIGIN IN EUROPE; NOT IN ORIENT. More details in: (1.) James Carroll: Constantine’s SWORD – The Church and the Jews: Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 2001 (2.) Karen Armstrong: Mohammad – Prophet for our Time: Harper Perennial, London, 2006 / 2007.
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Rahim from Germany: The Antisimitism has its origin in Europe.
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