Regional security in the 21st century

Ali Alatas, Former Indonesian Foreign Minister, Singapore, Part 2 of 2

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan during the 1999 General Assembly session specifically raised this issue, thus sparking an international debate which may well continue for many years to come.

While nobody can deny the imperative to stop massive and systematic violations of human rights causing humanitarian tragedies in countries and societies, the risks posed by humanitarian intervention are equally clear: it could set dangerous precedents for future interventions if done without clear criteria or guidelines as to how, when and by whom such intervention should be carried out.

There is great sensitivity and concern, particularly among developing countries, at the notion of eroding or superseding the principle of state sovereignty as implied in humanitarian intervention. Even if such intervention had the sanction of the UN Security Council, developing countries would still be acutely conscious of the fact that they have precious little say in the decision-making processes of the Council and in the surveillance of implementation of Council decisions.

Moreover, those carrying out humanitarian intervention are most likely to be from the advanced countries of the "North" and those subjected to such intervention will be the developing countries of the "South", thus creating yet another dimension of North-South contention.

Therefore, if humanitarian intervention is to be accepted as a new norm in international relations, it must always be based on the principles of legitimacy and of universal applicability or non-discrimination. It must be - and be seen to be - justly and consistently applied, irrespective of which country or region would be affected.

Hence, I am firmly of the view that the fundamental questions raised by this evolving international norm need first to be thoroughly discussed by the international community so as to arrive at consensus on the principles and criteria, the mandates and guidelines for such intervention as well as on the specific circumstances and conditions under which humanitarian intervention could take place.

In Southeast Asia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can be said to be an early advocate of comprehensive security and of cooperative security, as inter alla evidenced by the promulgation of ASEAN's concept of a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) in 1972.

It may also be noted that ASEAN anticipated many of the prescriptions of the Palme Commission by well over a decade. And I am sure that its member-countries are presently carefully considering all salient aspects of human security and of humanitarian intervention.

Nations often perceive, as the ASEAN countries do, that the principal threats to their security either emanate from or are related to conditions within their own region. Thus, developing countries often adopt regional approaches to security as a natural response to the inadequacy of international mechanisms in safeguarding their security. This is not to say that they can neglect the extra-regional dimensions of security, particularly if external states have forces stationed in the region or in other ways assume responsibility for the security of one or more regional states.

Not every region or sub-region can effectively adopt a regional security approach. For a region to be able to do so successfully, it must have coherence in terms of military conditions and of the security outlook and interests of the regional states.

On the other hand, in cases where there is no persistent political or military friction between neighboring states, the region may provide a viable setting for dialogue and agreement on a framework of mutual security.

In the case of ASEAN, the following factors indeed converged to ensure such coherence:

Firstly, a shared perceptions of the nature and possible direction of threats against their common security as well as concurrence on the most effective approaches to the maintenance of their security;

Secondly, a strong desire to nurture stability and peace among themselves for the sake of common progress and prosperity;

Thirdly, a sense of cultural affinity, political solidarity and common purpose based on historical experiences;

Fourthly, a shared consciousness of the need to reduce undue external or extra-regional interference and intervention in the affairs of the region.

Apart from these, it is equally important to stress and to strengthen the role of regional and sub-regional groupings of states in addressing and resolving their particular security concerns through more widely gauged forms and modalities of regional cooperation.

It is within this perspective that we should appreciate ASEAN's consistent and continuing efforts in bolstering the regional security approach as contained in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and in nurturing the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as the only forum in the Asia-Pacific region for frank dialogue and cooperation on political and security issues in which all the major powers of the world participate.

In view of the fundamental changes that have taken place and the basic trends now prevailing on the international scene, I tend to believe that states and especially developing countries will increasingly turn towards regional arrangements as a means to overcome their security concerns.

For the strategy of seeking security through military alliances with the major powers has been proven to be counter- productive. Likewise, ever-increasing purchases of arms have diverted sorely needed resources away from national development efforts without resulting in greater security.

In a world of ever-expanding globalization and deepening interdependence and with the emergence of a wide range of non- traditional security threats, there is a clear and urgent need to reassess our thinking and approaches towards security issues.

As the 11th September terrorist attack and its aftermath have shown, the world today is facing entirely different kinds of security threats requiring different counter-measures.

I strongly believe, therefore, that the world at large and our region in particular should accord high priority to the forging of close cooperation in combating such problems as illegal drug trafficking, smuggling including people smuggling, piracy and money-laundering, which together with international terrorism, now constitute the new breed of trans-national security challenges.

This article was the writer's speech delivered on Oct. 11, at the Pan-Asian Conference on Non-Traditional Security Issues in Singapore.