Regional cooperation in South Asia and Southeast Asia PDF
Preview Regional cooperation in South Asia and Southeast Asia
Regional Cooperation in South Asia and Southeast Asia Regional Coop_half and title pg.1 1 5/1/07 7:35:06 PM The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) was established as an autonomous organization in 1968. It is a regional centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Instituteʼs research programmes are the Regional Economic Studies (RES, including ASEAN and APEC), Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS), and Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS). ISEAS Publications, an established academic press, has issued almost 2,000 books and journals. It is the largest scholarly publisher of research about Southeast Asia from within the region. ISEAS Publications works with many other academic and trade publishers and distributors to disseminate important research and analyses from and about Southeast Asia to the rest of the world. 00 Prelims pi-xii.indd 2 4/27/07 1:27:54 PM Kripa Sridharan with T.C.A. Srinivasa-Raghavan Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore Regional Coop_half and title pg.2 2 5/1/07 7:35:06 PM First published in Singapore in 2007 by ISEAS Publishing Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Pasir Panjang Singapore 119614 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. © 2007 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore The responsibility for facts and opinions in this publication rests exclusively with the authors and their interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of the publisher or its supporters. ISEAS Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Sridharan, Kripa, 1949– Regional cooperation : South Asia and Southeast Asia. 1. Regionalism—Asia. 2. Regionalism—Southeast Asia. 3. Regionalism—South Asia. 4. Southeast Asia—Economic integration. 5. South Asia—Economic integration. I. Title JZ5333 S77 2007 ISBN: 978-981-230-435-3 (hard cover) ISBN: 978-981-230-426-1 (soft cover) ISBN: 978-981-230-720-0 (PDF) Typeset by International Typesetters Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Oxford Graphic Printers Pte Ltd 00 Prelims pi-xii.indd 4 4/27/07 1:27:55 PM Contents Preface vii 1 INTRODUCTION: WHY REGIONALISM? 1 2 REGIONALISM: THE INSTITUTIONAL 43 FRAMEWORK 3 THE POLITICAL DIMENSION OF 113 REGIONALISM 4 PATTERNS OF ECONOMIC REGIONALISM 205 T.C.A. Srinivasa-Raghavan 5 SOCIAL ISSUES AND REGIONAL 279 COOPERATION 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 329 Index 353 About the Authors 370 00 Prelims pi-xii.indd 5 4/27/07 1:27:55 PM 00 Prelims pi-xii.indd 6 4/27/07 1:27:55 PM Preface An unspoken but widely acknowledged view about regionalism suggests that it is better to have regionalized and faltered than never to have regionalized at all! Taking this as its point of departure, this study provides a comparative sketch of regional cooperation in South and Southeast Asia in the light of various political, economic and social developments in the two regions. Since regionalism is both a pervasive and amorphous phenomenon, a straightforward account of its similarities and differences cannot be easily set down. But the broad patterns of behaviour of the regional actors who gather under a regional roof can be captured. This study regards regionalism both as a formal entity and a process and seeks to explain the dynamics of regional cooperation from this intertwined perspective. Regionalism represents the wisdom of hanging together howsoever difficult that may be for states within a given geographical space. The different sides of their existence are played out within a regional context since their conflicts and confabulations are mostly with their immediate neighbours. Region is therefore both a threat and an opportunity. Increasingly, states are convinced that unless they relate well to their neighbourhood they are unlikely to make an impact in the wider world. There is also recognition that a regional platform can be extremely 00 Prelims pi-xii.indd 7 4/27/07 1:27:55 PM viii Preface useful in keeping at bay the undesirable elements of a rapidly globalizing world. But cognizance does not automatically ensure appropriate behaviour and therefore we find that some regional experiences have fallen far short of expectations. Although the vehicle has not been abandoned, it is not confidently striding ahead either. Such situations call for introspection and course correction. Learning from the experience of others can yield some benefits in this respect and therefore comparing notes may not be such a bad idea. To compare is not only understand but to improve and avoid the avoidable. In the following pages, an attempt has been made to highlight the highs and lows of regional experiences mainly in South and Southeast Asia interspersed with references to the European Union (EU) where relevant. Europe is not exactly used as a benchmark but only as a point of reference since it has had a long stint in making regionalism work. Some people may argue that the jury is still out on the success of the European venture, and EU should not be used as a yardstick because it is exceptional. While there may be good reasons for such thinking, it is also apparent that leaders and policymakers often refer to the advances made by the EU in the context of the gaps in their own regional efforts. To dismiss this as mere rhetoric, in my opinion, is inappropriate. Therefore, this work refers to the European experience where relevant. For Europe, regional cooperation was a creed; for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), it was a strategy and for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), it is so far, neither. This study seeks to outline certain practical problems that hobble regional cooperative efforts. It is mainly 00 Prelims pi-xii.indd 8 4/27/07 1:27:55 PM Preface ix addressed to those who take a lively interest in regional cooperation. It starts with a broad survey of the objectives and course of regionalism so as to indicate its conceptual and practical evolution. It does not claim to provide a rigorous and direct comparative analysis of regionalism. Its main purpose is to appraise the readers of the relative progress made by regional organizations in South and Southeast Asia. It is more of an illustrative comparison rather than a comparative case study. My gratitude and thanks are owed to a great many people who made this study possible. Before mentioning their names I must state that the usual disclaimer applies. I take the responsibility for all the errors of omission and commission in the study. I should first of all thank the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore and its Director, Mr K. Kesavapany in particular, for the sponsorship of this project. Without Mr Kesavapanyʼs sustained interest, encouragement and cheerful confidence, this work would not have seen the light of day. I would also like to thank Dr Chin Kin Wah, Deputy Director, ISEAS, for his valuable comments when this research was presented in a seminar in ISEAS. I wish to thank the Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore for granting me study leave during non-teaching periods to work on the manuscript. I would also like to place on record my thanks to the staff of ISEAS, especially Mrs Y.L. Lee for all the help that I received in the course of working on the project. I am very thankful to Mrs Triena Ong and her colleagues in the ISEAS Publications Unit for their helpful editorial 00 Prelims pi-xii.indd 9 4/27/07 1:27:55 PM x Preface support. I should also take this opportunity to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their comments on the manuscript. This is an appropriate occasion to thank my former teacher Professor A.J.R. Groom, Emeritus Professor, University of Kent, U.K. who first introduced regionalism to me as a subject of scholarly enquiry. But for his exceptional instruction and training I would have remained ignorant about the great possibilities of regional endeavours. I am enormously indebted to him for this. Of course, any gap in my understanding of regionalism is entirely due to my inadequacy. The writing of this book was made exceedingly pleasant by the help that I received from my research associate T.C.A, Srinivasa-Raghavan, Consulting Editor, Business Standard, New Delhi. The chapter on the economic dimension of regionalism is written by him. I thank him for his contribution and intellectual support which I have always valued highly. I would like to thank Aparna Shivpuri, Research Associate, Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore, for her splendid research help and valuable inputs for the section on social issues in South Asia. A great many scholars, officials and informed observers deserve my special thanks for generously sparing their time to talk to me about various aspects of regionalism in South Asia and Southeast Asia. In particular, I would like to thank the current Secretary General of ASEAN, Ong Keng Yong, former Secretary General Rodolfo C. Severino, and former SAARC Secretary General Abul Ahsan for sharing their views with me. 00 Prelims pi-xii.indd 10 4/27/07 1:27:56 PM
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