ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity

Various proposals for an “ASEAN Community” (e.g. Bali Concord II) have committed ASEAN to establish a more institutionalised organisation with the capacity to guide substantive “political and security cooperation”. Such an outcome would evidence well-developed levels of trust, interest harmoni...

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Main Author: Christopher Roberts
Other Authors: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Format: Working Paper
Language:English
Published: 2011
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/90559
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6527
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-905592020-11-01T08:40:15Z ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity Christopher Roberts S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies DRNTU::Social sciences Various proposals for an “ASEAN Community” (e.g. Bali Concord II) have committed ASEAN to establish a more institutionalised organisation with the capacity to guide substantive “political and security cooperation”. Such an outcome would evidence well-developed levels of trust, interest harmonisation and foreign policy coordination. This paper analyses how state weakness and divergent political values represent the biggest challenge to these outcomes. While state weakness detracts from regional security and cohesion (e.g. Myanmar), divergent political values lead to divisions over the manner and extent to which the ASEAN members can and will cooperate in relation to both domestic and regional issues. State weakness also generates internal security dilemmas that detract from regionalists enterprises (e.g. post-Suharto Indonesia). Nonetheless, economic cooperation has been relatively more feasible for all the ASEAN members as it has the potential to enhance domestic stability and (for the less democratic members) it can also provide added regime security through “performance legitimacy”. Finally, the capacity gaps and divergence of political values currently extant in the region mean that ASEAN will remain a mutual sovereignty-reinforcing (intergovernmental) model of regional organisation for the foreseeable future. While ASEAN may achieve incremental progress towards the realisation of its regionalist goals, policy makers should plan for a multi-decade approach rather than the current goal of achieving an “ASEAN Community”— particularly the “Security Community” and “Socio-Cultural Community” pillars—by 2015. 2011-01-11T03:00:44Z 2019-12-06T17:49:51Z 2011-01-11T03:00:44Z 2019-12-06T17:49:51Z 2010 2010 Working Paper Christopher Roberts. (2010). ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity. (RSIS Working Paper, No. 217). Singapore: Nanyang Technological University. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/90559 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6527 en RSIS Working Paper ; 217/10 40 p. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic DRNTU::Social sciences
spellingShingle DRNTU::Social sciences
Christopher Roberts
ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity
description Various proposals for an “ASEAN Community” (e.g. Bali Concord II) have committed ASEAN to establish a more institutionalised organisation with the capacity to guide substantive “political and security cooperation”. Such an outcome would evidence well-developed levels of trust, interest harmonisation and foreign policy coordination. This paper analyses how state weakness and divergent political values represent the biggest challenge to these outcomes. While state weakness detracts from regional security and cohesion (e.g. Myanmar), divergent political values lead to divisions over the manner and extent to which the ASEAN members can and will cooperate in relation to both domestic and regional issues. State weakness also generates internal security dilemmas that detract from regionalists enterprises (e.g. post-Suharto Indonesia). Nonetheless, economic cooperation has been relatively more feasible for all the ASEAN members as it has the potential to enhance domestic stability and (for the less democratic members) it can also provide added regime security through “performance legitimacy”. Finally, the capacity gaps and divergence of political values currently extant in the region mean that ASEAN will remain a mutual sovereignty-reinforcing (intergovernmental) model of regional organisation for the foreseeable future. While ASEAN may achieve incremental progress towards the realisation of its regionalist goals, policy makers should plan for a multi-decade approach rather than the current goal of achieving an “ASEAN Community”— particularly the “Security Community” and “Socio-Cultural Community” pillars—by 2015.
author2 S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
author_facet S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Christopher Roberts
format Working Paper
author Christopher Roberts
author_sort Christopher Roberts
title ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity
title_short ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity
title_full ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity
title_fullStr ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity
title_full_unstemmed ASEAN institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity
title_sort asean institutionalisation : the function of political values and state capacity
publishDate 2011
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/90559
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6527
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