Asia and the Middle East: Let the convergence begin<\/p>\n
Kavi Chongkittavorn
\nThe Nation
\nAsia News Network
\nBangkok<\/p>\n
East and West have met and prospered. Now, the Far East and
\nMiddle East are converging. Things will kick off when
\nrepresentatives of more than 50 countries from Asia and the
\nMiddle East will meet in Singapore this coming Monday and Tuesday
\nunder a new framework called the Asia-Middle East Dialog (Amed).<\/p>\n
It is the brainchild of former Singapore prime minister Goh
\nChok Tong, who wants to see a deeper level of engagement between
\nthe two regions.<\/p>\n
The timing is good given the current situation in the Middle
\nEast and the prospects for peace there. Increased engagement by
\nall parties concerned, both in the Middle East and elsewhere, in
\nthe past few months has generated optimism. For Asia's part, the
\neconomic strength of China, the economic revival of Japan and the
\nemergence of India have made it an extremely attractive partner
\nfor cooperation. These enabling environments provide ample
\nopportunities for future cooperation.<\/p>\n
The months and years to come will show whether the two regions
\ncan work together to foster prosperity or whether Amed is just
\nanother, though perhaps indispensable, talk shop. To begin with,
\nall Amed decisions will be made by consensus.<\/p>\n
The Middle East's influence on Asia dates back thousands of
\nyears and touches political, religious and cultural fields.
\nDuring the region's oil boom years, Asian developing countries
\nbenefited from millions of construction jobs that were given to
\nAsian laborers, particularly those from Southeast Asia. At the
\nmoment there are millions of Filipinos working in the Middle East
\nalongside smaller numbers of Thais, Vietnamese and Indonesians.<\/p>\n
What is strange is that ever since it was set up in 1967,
\nASEAN has been discussing the Middle East situation in one way or
\nanother at its annual meetings. For decades the grouping's
\nposition on the region has remained constant. It continues to
\nsupport the peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict and
\nthe right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.
\nIndeed, it has been the only issue on which ASEAN members have
\nshared a common view without much bickering in the past three
\ndecades.<\/p>\n
The issue has also served as a link between the two regions
\nthat has promoted relationships with members of the Gulf
\nCooperation Council (GCC) such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
\nQatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.<\/p>\n
Singapore has invited almost all of the Middle East countries,
\nincluding some of the more moderate Islamic ones such as Egypt,
\nwhich will host the second Amed meeting, and Jordan.<\/p>\n
The meeting hopes to produce policy recommendations related to
\npolitical, economic and social issues as well as initiatives that
\nare imperative for further development.<\/p>\n
As such, Amed will be "inclusive in spirit and focus on
\npositive outcomes for greater cooperation between Asia and the
\nMiddle East", according to the concept paper drafted by
\nSingapore. Working principles will be "voluntary, informal and
\nflexible".<\/p>\n
Amed will also adopt the ASEAN code of conduct of non-
\ninterference in other member's internal affairs and respect for
\neach member's unique cultures and social values.<\/p>\n
The Amed agenda as of now dwells on three key areas: political
\nand security issues, economic issues and social issues, the
\nlatter encompassing education, science, culture and media. The
\nparticipants will come from "a broad spectrum" of countries as
\nwell as policy makers, scholars and other opinion makers. All
\nparticipants are encouraged to discuss frankly as an individual
\non all topics. Their views are noncommittal.<\/p>\n
More than the Asian countries would like to admit, one of
\nAmed's most important aims is promote the region's views in the
\nMiddle East, which has long been dominated by the U.S. and
\nEurope. Asian countries have no quarrels with the parties to the
\nMiddle East conflicts. It will be the first time that
\nrepresentatives of the two regions discuss the situation without
\nthe interference or presence of major Western powers.<\/p>\n
From the Asian countries' standpoint, current global issues
\nare too polarized by the vested interests of major powers and
\ntheir lack of tolerance; they hope to promote better
\nunderstanding. Dialog between Asia and Middle East, the most
\ndiverse regions in the world, could result in more moderate views
\nand practical outcomes.<\/p>\n
It will be interesting to see how Amed will evolve. On one
\nhand, it covers the same countries that are part of the Asia
\nCooperation Dialog (ACD), which has 28 members and has become one
\nof Thailand's top policy platforms. On the other hand, practical
\nrecommendations that will follow the Amed meeting are certain to
\nbear resemblance to the ACD cooperation framework.<\/p>\n
Thailand, which has agreed to host the third Amed meeting,
\nexpects the forum to complement the ongoing ACD process, which it
\nconsiders an umbrella for broader Asian cooperation, since both
\nthe ACD and Amed share similar principles and objectives. ACD has
\nconducted 19 activities in 12 areas including agriculture,
\ntourism, poverty alleviation.<\/p>\n
In the end, the success of these processes will depend on the
\nlevel of commitment of the participating countries. If history is
\nany indicator, only certain areas of cooperation in these forums
\nwill be given priority and focus. Only the most practical and
\nhigh-yield initiatives, such as issues related to energy
\nsecurity, e-commerce, IT and human resource development and
\ncultural cooperation, will take off without difficulty.<\/p>",
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