Undesirable consequences of an ASEAN peacekeeping force

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

Since the 2003 ASEAN Bali summit, which laid down new foundations for more cohesive ASEAN security cooperation, Indonesia has been quite expressive in pursuing its proposal for an ASEAN Security Community. In a recent meeting of ASEAN senior officials here, Indonesia proposed the formation of an ASEAN peacekeeping force that would one day help settle regional disputes.

The idea was part of the action plan of the ASEAN Security Community. The idea was again put forward by our foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda in his address to the 4th ASEAN -- UN Conference here. The argument may have been that being closer to the conflict, ASEAN can react faster and have a better understanding of the conflict than the international community as a whole, as represented by the United Nations.

Now that ASEAN sees itself as a security community it means that cooperation for long-term regional peace and stability needs to be enhanced, intensified and strengthened. However, the process of becoming a security community will inevitably be characterized by the emergence of new potential regional problems, that are likely to have negative repercussions on regional order.

It is therefore timely that Indonesia came up with the idea of an ASEAN peacekeeping force. At a time when ASEAN is set to become the real engine for its own regional order through the ASEAN Security Community and is transforming itself into a more solid, cohesive and outward-looking community, cooperation in the field of peacekeeping is not only necessary, but also desirable given the continued vulnerability ASEAN is to face in the future.

The idea of a peacekeeping force reflects the wish of Indonesia that ASEAN employ and project a non-coercive means of resolving conflict and avoid direct confrontation. This indeed is the essence of an ASEAN Security Community. The idea of an ASEAN regional peacekeeping force may have been based on the assumption that such a mechanism would be a major contributing factor in the maintenance of regional peace and security.

Thus, the ASEAN Security Community is unlikely to develop into a true community unless it has at its disposal a politically reliable regional mechanism for a non-coercive conflict resolution.

If the proposal is endorsed by the respective member governments of ASEAN countries, then it has to be the product of a regional consensus. However, there has already been a negative reaction from the minister of foreign affairs of Thailand who was reported as saying that a regional peacekeeping force was not necessary.

So, just like the idea of ASEAN Security Community when it was first fleshed out by Indonesia, the proposal for an ASEAN peacekeeping force is likely to spur heated debate among the members countries of ASEAN. Such debate is likely to occur in the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting here in June.

The idea for an ASEAN peacekeeping force is actually good for the long-term security of the region, but it might not be the case for other members of ASEAN as they have to think through all the complexities of the proposal once it is put into reality.

ASEAN should be aware of the fact that peacekeeping operations do not rely exclusively on military activity, but on diplomacy. This would mean that collective ASEAN diplomatic power would have to be reinforced and strengthened if ASEAN is to prove to the world the political and security benefits of a regional peacekeeping force.

In the next few years the region will witness a number of proposals for the security of the region particularly from Indonesia, as ASEAN itself as an organization continues to search for common ground rules for joint action.

It is during such a process that ASEAN members will face very complex problems emanating either from their participation in the regional peacekeeping force or from their domestic setting.

Some of the problems ASEAN must anticipate, among other things, are (a) a lack of general readiness with both lack of rapid deployment capability and of general military capability; (b) a lack of understanding about what is needed and what is to be expected from the peacekeeping operation, particularly with regard to use of force; and (c) some members may have vested national interests in the country or with the parties in conflict, which in turn undermine the unity of purpose required for cohesive action. Others may be unwilling to support a particular operation and thus fragmenting the cohesiveness of the group.

It could be said that efforts to establish an ASEAN regional peacekeeping force may produce undesirable consequences. In terms of interests for example, it is always possible that ASEAN views conflicts in the region through the narrow national or regional self-interests. It is not impossible that states may have close economic, political and military connections with conflicting parties.

Thus, they are less able or likely to be impartial. All too often, regional states are part of the problem and not part of the solution. If this is the case, then an ASEAN peacekeeping operation is bound to encounter difficulties, not to mention other constraints emanating either from resources and capability or from ASEAN's adherence to the principle of non-interference.

ASEAN peacekeeping operations would certainly enhance ASEAN cooperation on both political and military levels. But ASEAN must do its utmost to avoid contradictory views on how the operation should be framed and implemented.

There are, however, dangers that might come with the new ASEAN interest in peacekeeping. A purely military approach, using a heavy hand where it is not required, could tarnish the image of ASEAN.

Furthermore, an expansion of ASEAN's responsibility into the area of peacekeeping should not be used as an excuse to carry out intervention in the name of peacekeeping. It is thus imperative that the intricacies and complexities of an ASEAN peacekeeping force be studied thoroughly if ASEAN is to be seen as successful.

The Indonesian idea for regional peacekeeping has now reached the capitals of other ASEAN countries, with one country already voicing its reservations. The question that ASEAN must address now is whether or not the regional peacekeeping force is a must for the region.

The writer is also lecturer at the International Relations, Post Graduate Studies Program, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University of Indonesia.