Drawing a new blueprint for ASEAN

Drawing a new blueprint for ASEAN

Bantarto Bandoro, Editor, 'The Indonesian Quarterly' Centre for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (CSIS), Jakarta,
bandoro@csis.or.id

The ninth ASEAN Summit kicked off on Tuesday, Oct. 6 to lay
fresh political and strategic ground for a more prosperous, just
and secure Southeast Asia region. The Bali Concord II is to act
as new blueprint for ASEAN's future regional and international
relations.

The Summit itself is historic for several reasons. First, it
is held when ASEAN is facing tremendous political and strategic
challenges from inside as well as outside the region. Second,
during the Summit ASEAN is to decide new strategic and economic
relations with China, India and Japan.

China and India reportedly are to sign their ascension to the
Treaty and Amity of Cooperation, aimed at providing the basis of
good conduct for all countries bound under the agreement.

Third, an ASEAN collective leadership is expected to appear as
a new modality to execute its new program of actions. Fourth, the
ASEAN Business and Investment Summit seeks to act as a forum for
the ASEAN business community to seek regional opportunities.

Fifth, the summit will witness important bilateral meetings on
the sidelines of the summit which is expected to facilitate
solutions to bilateral problems.

The Summit's strategic significance lies not only in ASEAN's
regional and global responsibility, but also in the commitment of
external powers (India, China, Japan and, to a certain extent,
Russia) to the region's peace and security. Their commitment will
pave the way for greater engagements in regional and security
matters.

As India, China and Russia prepare for an "alliance" with the
Southeast Asian countries, the United States seems cool to the
idea. America's friends in ASEAN, led by Brunei Darussalam and
Singapore had, reportedly been urging Washington to sign the
above treaty, an apparently crucial building block in the
development of a security system in Asia.

Washington seemed to turn the offer down, probably viewing
such a commitment as a restraint to U.S. freedom of action, the
same argument they put forward against joining the International
Court of Justice.

ASEAN has seen earlier engagements with India, Japan and China
through regular dialog mechanisms. However the current move by
such countries to be part of ASEAN's core security and economic
activities merits special attention. Their engagement in ASEAN's
"inner circle" reflects the fact that security and economic
issues in the region really matter for their future policy toward
the region.

For these countries, ASEAN is indeed strategic for the
following reasons: (1) future regional problems in which their
security and economy is at stake cannot be solved unless they
maintain a cordial and long-term strategic relationship with
ASEAN; (2) direct exchange of information with ASEAN will be much
more secured, thus guaranteeing access to ASEAN's potential
resources; and (3) a collective and more cohesive leadership of
ASEAN would help those countries promote a more sound regional
framework of security and economics, meaning that new approaches
and initiatives they might offer to ASEAN might be accepted and
executed without anyone being suspicious of the other's policies
and actions.

Given that these countries will be permanently part of the
ASEAN regional agenda will certainly provide the opportunity for
ASEAN to continually express its approaches to new regional
security and economic problems.

ASEAN must realize that strategic partnership with those
countries is imperative if it is to be seen as more successful in
tackling new regional security and economic issues.

A continuous long term strategic interaction between ASEAN and
Japan, China and India and Russia, is not only politically
desirable, but also necessary in an era of a high degree of
interdependence.

Further, the Bali Concord II draws on the concepts of the
ASEAN Security Community (ASC), ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
and ASEAN Social and Cultural Community (ASCC). This will be a
historical leap for ASEAN and it will be a new blueprint for the
regional grouping, to be effective until 2020.

The Concord refers to agreements for a harmonious
relationship. It is aimed at building peaceful and cooperative
relations between states. Thus it contains a code of conduct, and
serves as the basis for developing cooperation in politics,
security, the economy and even social and cultural fields.

The Bali Concord I, established in the first ASEAN summit in
1976, was an attempt by ASEAN to regulate intra ASEAN relations.
The Bali Concord II will be even more extensive as it reflects
attempts by ASEAN to engage itself more effectively and
intensively in various forms of regional cooperation.

The ninth ASEAN Summit sees ASEAN going all out to build a
much more solid regional community following turbulent issues
such as terrorism and nontraditional threats such as the
trafficking of people, drugs and weaponry.

ASEAN now is more cognizant that security is comprehensive and
encompasses the security of all fundamental needs, core values
and vital interests of the individual state in every field. It
also reflects the awareness that international and regional
security is indivisible and mutual and can only be attained
through common, cooperative and systematic efforts.

A great deal of regional investment is indeed needed for the
realization of such a community. ASEAN therefore, after the
Summit, has to intensify and coordinate its diplomatic efforts to
secure the accomplishment of the Bali Concord II without any
country in the region taking offense due to the initiatives of
other countries taken in the framework of such a community. ASEAN
is of course no stranger to controversy.

The Bali Concord II is set to give more diplomatic weight to
ASEAN's international standing and regional diplomacy amid rapid
changes in its strategic environment. ASEAN must now be prepared
to go beyond its rhetoric as the world now begins to watch
ASEAN's political and security performance more closely.

The regional body must press on in its commitment to fulfill
its fundamental goals as stated in the 1967 Bangkok Declaration
-- namely to maintain regional peace and security and develop
friendly relations among countries in the region.

The starting point for these efforts must be acceptance that
while ASEAN stands for ideals we must never relinquish, ASEAN and
its Bali Concord II both reflect and shape new geopolitics of
Southeast Asia.