Noninterference is the same as inaction<\/p>\n
TOKYO: ASEAN is back. That is the message coming from Bangkok
\nlast week as foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast
\nAsian Nations hold their annual get-together. North Korea's debut
\nat the ASEAN Regional Forum, which follows the foreign ministers'
\nmeeting, has contributed to the optimism, as has the economic
\nrecovery among the group's members.<\/p>\n
Both are promising signs; neither is permanent. If ASEAN wants
\nto reclaim its place on the international stage, the group's
\nmembers are going to have to make some hard choices about their
\norganization, its purpose and its operating principles.<\/p>\n
ASEAN has not lived up to expectations. Its members account
\nfor only 1.5 percent of world gross domestic product; by
\ncontrast, the United States alone has more than 20 percent. The
\norganization's lackluster response to the 1997 financial crisis
\nand the chaos in East Timor last year prompted many to dismiss it
\nas a talk shop, incapable of responding to crises no matter how
\nimportant.<\/p>\n
This year, questions about ASEAN's relevance have been drowned
\nout by the hubbub over North Korea's debut at the ARF meeting.
\nOnce the novelty of a North Korean representative wears off ...
\nASEAN will have to face the relevance question.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, members have recognized the problem. Singapore's
\nforeign minister noted that Southeast Asia's rebound since the
\n1997 crisis had not changed the view that ASEAN was a "sunset
\norganization" and that a continuing failure to act would further
\nmarginalize it.<\/p>\n
That view was echoed by the chair, Thai Prime Minister Chuan
\nLeekpai, who opened the conference with a call to resist a "false
\nsense of complacency" and to speed up economic integration to
\nhelp ASEAN compete with other trading blocs.<\/p>\n
In response, foreign ministers agreed on a new mechanism to
\ntackle regional problems. A "troika" composed of the current,
\npreceding and next scheduled chair would be able to deal with
\nemergencies and help set ASEAN's stance on international issues.<\/p>\n
The group also initiated the "ASEAN plus three" meetings,
\nwhich include China, Japan and South Korea. This gathering brings
\nNortheast and Southeast Asia together in an institutional setting
\nfor the first time.<\/p>\n
The "troika" initiative could be rendered useless by ASEAN's
\ndoctrine of strict non-interference in the affairs of members.
\nOfficially, the group represents the foreign ministers, and will
\nonly operate with their consent. It will not be able to make
\ndecisions for them. In other words, it will be powerless.<\/p>\n
This is ASEAN's dilemma. The members must decide if they want
\nto stick to the principles that served them well during ASEAN's
\nfirst years, when the group was much smaller -- as were its
\nambitions. As has become apparent in recent years, non-
\ninterference is the same as inaction.<\/p>\n
-- The Nation \/ Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/noninterference-is-the-same-as-inaction-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }