EU and ASEAN: Regional Institutionalism for a Multipolar International Order

Raising Regionalism

Nowadays, most people in the world are facing the liberal internationalism, an international order that is open and rule-based, which has United States as the unipolar power[1]. After the collapse of Soviet Union and its alliances in the end of Cold War in the midst of 1940s until the end of 1980s, United States becomes the most super power state in the world. The unipolarity of US remains until now, that it has great economic, political institutions and military power to rule the world, for both eastern or western country. However, there are some scholars who disagree that U.S becoming the main power, since the global challange can be more complex and complicated other than traditional issue among the countries. Hence, the unipolarity of U.S is doubted that it might be unprepared to facing the shifting of global challenges by its own power.

Theory of integration have emerged from two different school of thought, that is to explain what happened in Western Europe and find solution to the security dilemma rising out of the condition of international anarchy, among countries[2]. After the end of World War II in 1945, most of the European continent was destructed. Some of the leaders were thinking of rebuilding Europe by having institusionalised economic integration among countries. Thus, at the very first time, in 1951 European Steel and Coal Community (ECSC) was established for both peace maintenance and economic development of European countries. As changing names into European Economy Community (EEC) and, now, Euroepan Union (EU), it has deepened the integration, expanded the member states, become a strong global actor in the world. Building with the commitments from the 6 (six) founding member states, they have successfully created a world-wide-known single currency of Euro to balance the power of U.S. dollar. Despite of the current crisis, EU has now become the greatest model of regional integration. However, its integration process mostly came from top-down, with so many institutions playing role on it, other than bottom-up process from its people[3].

The other regional integration made by 5 (five) founding member states of Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN). The process of ASEAN integration goes slowly unlike it does in EU. ASEAN was established in 1967 with the commitment for keeping the peace stability among founding countries and preventing from the influence of communism. It has its own way to solve the member’s domestic problems without any interference to each others, called ASEAN way. Unlike EU’s institutions, ASEAN, which now consists of 10 member states, does not have a supranational institutions enforced. It is basically established to support the economic growth, promote the peace stability, democracy, maintaning commerce, technology and industry among member states. Before the ratification of ASEAN Charter, it did not have binding law enforcement so that the process of integration is so thin. Lately in 2008, it has created a charter as a firm foundation in achieving the ASEAN Community by providing legal status and institutional framework for it. However, some scholars think that ASEAN do not project it clearly for future acheivements. Moreover, its member states should be more committed to the plan. As the global challenges and power have shifted, I believe that the regional institution is utmostly needed to create more chances and balance the U.S. unilaterality.

The Potential of ASEAN Regional Integration

In few aspects, the regional integration between EU and ASEAN is comparable. They have large number of population with different characteristic of people and different competences among the member states. This might be a challenge for building up a regional integration, for each member states may have its own national interest.

In other hand, ASEAN and EU have several different backgrounds to bridge more advanced relationship. ASEAN was inagurated based on the basic politic integration, while the EU was based on regional economic integration. The objectives of ASEAN member states tend to look outside the border for some big countries, like East Timur countries, China, even Russia and U.S. to cooperate. ASEAN has also initiated summits with several big states to increase the international bargaining to get more regional integration in Asian regional. However, ASEAN has not been strongly integrated within the member states itself. A point of view from EU mentioned that most institutions in ASEAN do not sufficiently cover the  basic of technology, rule of law, lack of coordination so that it is unreliable still[4]. Nevertheless, EU has been ASEAN oldest partner to talk about maintaining regional integration and share knowledge of institutionalism. In contrast, EU has highly considered on deepening integration process among the member states regionally.

In order to have a strong regional institutionalisation, each member state should assist each other to lessen the gap in between. In the aspect of economy, ASEAN’s big number of population led a bigger market for EU. Most of its member states have not yet been in the same vision of promoting regional integration in order to collect more possibility to be a bigger world actor. As it is stated before that ASEAN member states are too busy dealing with their own national interest other than working altogether. Almost all of its member states are developing countries, so that they compete each other to get the market interests. I believe that in order to have a deep regional integration, each countries should have domestically prepared first so that they might have trusted each other having the same projection in advance.

ASEAN has played important role in establishing regional integration among East Asia countries to promote peace, stability and prosperity since its inception 15 years ago[5]. Having China, South Korea, and Japan, even though it is only a talkshop still, will be fruitful to build a balancing power to the western. However, the main important thing is that the integration among ASEAN member states which may lead into a bigger and tough regional integration. Thus, efforts and strategy are salient to promote the value of regional integration to the people so that they will be prepared and have mutual understanding and benefits of each member states.

[1]Ikenberry, John. G. The Three Faces of Liberal Internationalism. in A. Alexandroff, A. Cooper, & (Eds). 2010.Rising States, Rising Institutions. Ontoria: Centre for International Governance Innovation, page 17

[2] Regionalism have emerged in two big waves, each characterized by its own debates between different schools of thought. See Wunderlich, Jens-Uwe (2007), Regionalism, Globalisation, and International Order. page 7

[3] The process of European Integration, see Borzel, Tanja A. 2002. ‘Pace-setting, Foot-dragging and Fence-setting: Member State Responses to Europeanisation’ in JCMS Volume 40 Number 2. Pp.193

[4] Bersick, Sebastian, Dr. Presenting “Asia in the Eyes of Europe-Images of a rising giant” in Public Briefing: “Perception of the EU in Asia” on June 6th, 2012 in Singapore, a professor of Assoc. Prof. School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA), Fudan University,&, Associate Fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).

[5] The Third Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) Plus Three in Jakarta, 31 May 2012. Cited from ASEAN Secretariat website: www.asean.org