Nurturing security cooperation between Asia, Europe<\/p>\n
Bantarto Bandoro, Editor, The Indonesian Quarterly Centre For
\nStrategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta, bandoro@csis.or.id<\/p>\n
Indonesia is to host the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
\nForeign Ministers meeting on July 24 and July 25 to address a
\nvariety of international security issues. The meeting will take
\nplace at a time when the countries in the region are tightening
\ntheir national security due to the threat of terrorism.<\/p>\n
Asia and Europe will face more severe security challenges,
\nstemming either internally or externally from their respective
\nregions. ASEM partners are aware of the fact that the challenges
\ncannot be dealt with effectively -- because they may come out of
\na rapidly increasing innovation in communication and information
\ntechnology -- unless they, politically and strategically,
\ncollaborate to produce a more coherent strategy.<\/p>\n
Recent developments in certain parts of the world are of
\nobvious concern to ASEM partners and have thus brought security
\nissues to the forefront of the international agenda. Accordingly,
\nthe Bali meeting is expected to focus on how to generate ASEM in
\nsuch a way that it could be instrumental in dealing with the
\nconsequences of global security issues. A more constructive
\napproach to solving common security issues is perhaps needed if
\nASEM is to survive in a globalized world and represent the
\ninterests of global stability.<\/p>\n
There are many actual and potential political and security
\nissues that warrant closer cooperation between Asia and Europe,
\nsuch as nuclear proliferation and transnational organized crime.
\nThe meeting, therefore, aims to set a new foundation for
\nstrengthening political and security cooperation.<\/p>\n
However, it is also undeniable that political and security
\nties linking Asia and Europe are weaker than economic ties. This
\nis in large part due to the very different security environment
\nof the two regions and to the different degrees of interaction
\nbetween the major powers.<\/p>\n
If the Bali meeting is to produce stronger grounds for
\ndeveloping more effective security cooperation among member
\ncountries in the future, it has to view current security issues
\nfrom a fresh angle, concentrating on how Asia and Europe might
\ncooperate more effectively in dealing with a series of
\ninternational security issues.<\/p>\n
New security issues -- such as the threat of terrorism,
\ninternational drug trafficking, people-smuggling, money
\nlaundering, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the
\nUN's security role -- should be discussed during ASEM's fifth
\nmeeting. None of these issues discriminate between national or
\nregional boundaries.<\/p>\n
Developments in other areas also have both direct and indirect
\nbearing on the security and stability of all the partners of
\nASEM. It is important, therefore, that transregional security
\ncooperation between our two regions be developed and prove its
\ncredibility and reliability in meeting the challenge of events.
\nThe core of transregional security cooperation is definitely a
\ndialog subject.<\/p>\n
Given the increasing importance of current political and
\nsecurity issues, and because Indonesia is the host of the meeting
\nand thus in a position to table new common security issues, the
\nBali meeting should gear ASEM in such a way that it could lend
\nitself as a vehicle for security dialog between Asia and Europe
\nat different levels. ASEM, therefore, should encourage,
\ncoordinate and support the participation of both governmental and
\nnon-governmental institutions in the security dialog.<\/p>\n
To further facilitate and enhance the security dialog between
\nthe two regions, the Bali meeting must provide thoughts on how
\nthe ASEM partners could explore ways and means to promote
\ncooperation and dialog between the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and
\nthe Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).<\/p>\n
Though the core, scope and spectrum of interests of these two
\nregional forums are substantially different, there is no reason
\nthey should not collaborate, politically, due to the
\nindiscriminate effects of global security issues such as
\nterrorism, drug trafficking and the proliferation of weapons of
\nmass destruction.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that, due to the emergence of new sources of
\nglobal security threats, both Asia and Europe face multiple and
\nincreasingly complex challenges. To meet the challenges
\nsuccessfully, and in turn commend their solutions to others, Asia
\nand Europe must initiate major steps collectively or toward each
\nother.<\/p>\n
In its fourth Asia-Europe Summit in Copenhagen in 2002, ASEM
\nissued a joint declaration on cooperation against international
\nterrorism, stating, among other things, that acts of
\ninternational terrorism constitute one of the most serious
\nthreats to international peace and security. Since the Bali
\nmeeting will be conducted in the midst of the global fight
\nagainst terrorism, it is important that such an issue is again
\ndiscussed at greater length at such a meeting.<\/p>\n
But this is not to suggest that terrorism is the only major
\nsecurity issue ASEM has to deal with. Other common security
\nissues should also be touched by transregional security
\ncooperation.<\/p>\n
The Bali meeting is important in itself as it will send out
\nmessages that the two regions should now put themselves in a
\nlonger-term perspective, meaning that both regions share the
\nresponsibility to prevent, through collective efforts, the
\npossibility of the arrival of new security turbulences. It is
\nperhaps imperative that Asia and Europe work together to
\ncontinually address security issues with urgency.<\/p>",
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