Regional security in the 21st century

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.