How serious is ASEAN about security?

Kavi Chongkittavorn, The Nation, Asia News Network, Bangkok

Whenever there is a conflict within the region, ASEAN member countries immediately refer to the "ASEAN way" as a possible solution. In the grouping's language, this means only one thing: Non-interference. The conventional wisdom goes like this: Let the situation run its course and do not force a solution on it. Everything will be fine in the end. This cardinal principle, so ASEAN boasts, has prevented wars among its members since 1967.

At the end of last month Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, circulated a concept paper that will, if approved, lead to the establishment of a regional peace-keeping force. Such a move will shake the non-interference principle. The proposal is part of the Draft Plan of Action for an ASEAN Security Community.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda was serious when he said there was a "crying need" for ASEAN countries to strengthen their shared conflict-resolution mechanism. He pointed out that internal conflicts within the individual member countries sometimes spilt over, affecting the rest of the region.

Sad but true. Throughout the grouping's 37-year history, the members of ASEAN have tended to view any attempt at conflict resolution as an act of interference rather than a collective endeavor to bring peace. If ASEAN is serious about establishing a regional peace-keeping force, a change of mind set among members is necessary.

Indonesia is in a good position to push for the creation of regional peacekeeping forces. Jakarta learned valuable lessons from the struggle for independence by East Timor and continues to do so from the current strife in Aceh. Both situations required intervention from the international community.

Confronted with mounting international pressure to end the violence in East Timor and accept international peace-keeping forces, former Indonesian president BJ Habibie opted to save face by turning to his neighbors, asking ASEAN members to send peace- keepers. However, there was no consensus on deployment within the grouping, only Thailand and the Philippines taking up the challenge.

According to former Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan, who was the ASEAN chairman at the time, Indonesia wanted to see its ASEAN colleagues dispatch a large number of peace-keepers to East Timor, preferring its neighbors' troops to international ones. ASEAN, as a grouping, was reluctant to send troops, leaving Bangkok and Manila to join the Australian-led international forces that ended up being deployed.

Similarly, the two ASEAN countries formed the peace-keeping contingent in Aceh last January when the Cessation of Hostility Agreement between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement came into effect. However, after a stint of just five months, the two countries pulled their forces out of the troubled province last May following the breakdown of the cease-fire.

Indonesia was extremely grateful for the Thai and Philippine contributions to the country's security and stability. It is no secret that Jakarta would like to use this tangible example of cooperation as a building block for any future ASEAN regional peace-keeping arrangement.

The experience of Thailand and the Philippines, coupled with the skills Malaysia picked up during its peace-keeping operations in Africa and Bosnia-Herzegovina, would serve as a foundation for the training of a regional force. Malaysia has the most experienced peace-keeping forces in the region and could play a leading role in the future.

Although Indonesia is moving towards a transitional period with presidential and national elections set to take place in coming months, its foreign ministry has decided to move ahead with its proposed plan of action, with an eye to making a regional peace-keeping force a part of the broader framework of the ASEAN Security Community by 2020.

Such a force will give ASEAN an option of its own when it comes to matters of security. In a way, time is short as the international political atmosphere in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the U.S. and the Iraq War demands that the region come up with its own strategies to deal with new uncertainties. To this day ASEAN lacks a conflict-resolution policy of its own.

Clearly the security process in ASEAN will be accelerated if the international situation becomes tense and pressure continues. It is characteristic of ASEAN to close ranks to ward off attempts at outside interference when they arise. A regional-force arrangement would insulate the region from such interference. The Korean Peninsula, Indonesia's civil war, Burma's political turmoil and countless other trans-national issues provide enough reasons for ASEAN to get serious.

The Indonesian proposal calls for an incremental approach to creating a regional peace-keeping force. At the upcoming foreign ministerial meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia hopes that ASEAN members will agree to a step-by-step effort to network and exchange knowledge and know-how on peace-keeping operations.

When the comfort level among the member countries reaches the point where a more institutional step can be taken, the grouping can proceed to the second level by setting up a regional peace- keeping institute.

Although such guidelines appear congenial to ASEAN's modus operandi, somehow the member countries are not enthusiastic. Last Thursday, during the ASEAN retreat at Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, the idea only received only cautious support. Most of ASEAN foreign ministers said they were concerned that a peace-keeping force would dilute the non-interference principle. They recommended their senior officials to study the proposal and come up with recommendations in July.

Also worth noting is that during the summit meeting in Bali, ASEAN leaders reiterated forcefully, as articulated in the Bali Concord II statement, that they would adhere to the non- interference principle and that ASEAN would never become a military bloc.

The UN is ready to provide any ASEAN peace-keeping force with training on conflict prevention and resolution and post-conflict peace-building. Some members have signed stand-by agreements with the UN, under which UN peace-keeping forces can be drawn from signatories' reserves in cases of emergency.

ASEAN cooperates best under pressure, whether from the process of globalization or from shifting strategic configurations. That seems to be the way to go for the creation of any ASEAN regional peace-keeping arrangement.