ASEAN paradigm shift from a state to people-oriented organization: A neo-communitarian perspective

• Main Authors: Mohd Sani, Mohd Azizuddin, Eby Hara, Abubakar
• Format: Article
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2013
• Subjects: JZ International relations
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/12558/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1468109913000157
• Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

This paper attempts to examine the paradigm shift in ASEAN from a state-based to a people-based organization.We argue that by adopting a people-based organization, ASEAN now enters an era of Neo-Communitarianism replacing the Old Communitarianism of the old generation of ASEAN.By using communitarian perspectives, we look at the continuities and changes in ASEAN with regard to how it deals with issues involving their members.Three important issues namely the debates on intervention principle; the adoption of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community; and the inclusion of human rights are seen as the signposts where ASEAN departs from their Old to a Neo-Communitarianism. Although there have been a lot of challenges to the realization of the people-based organization, we see that the dynamics of debates and the active participation of the community in the debates show good prospects for the new paradigm to realize.In this paper, we use debate on the formation of ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (ICHR), to show the involvements of people in setting the agendas for the future ASEAN.