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Advancing Community Building for ASEAN

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Abstract

This is a policy paper supporting the vision of ASEAN leaders in the project of ASEAN Community building. However, it goes beyond their declarations to argue for a more thorough going adoption of the norms of the United Nations and to promote more people-to-people activities and ASEAN consciousness among the people. ASEAN was established in 1967 with the aim to strengthen regional cooperation to deal with the geopolitical challenges of the Cold War. It has scored successes in the realm of economy. Driven by the dynamics of globalization, ASEAN has aspired to become a full-fledged community of nations. It aims to widen its scope to include social and cultural dimensions, social justice, and human rights. The most progressive manifestation of this is the ASEAN Charter. To advance the project of the ASEAN Community, this paper makes suggestions at two levels, namely the level of ideas and the level of activities, with some reflections on nation building. A nation at peace with itself based on social justice and human rights contributes to regional community building. If and when it does come about, the ASEAN Community will represent a new ASEAN identity, with a new moral and political order, and it will be able to articulate global issues in international forums with moral authority and moral coherence.

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Notes

  1. The author thanks the first reviewer for pointing this out.

  2. For example, the Secretary General of ASEAN, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, has referred to the European Union as a source of inspiration for ASEAN.

  3. This can be very similar to the Asian Society in the USA which holds regular talks given by experts on Asia.

  4. What is a strong state? In terms of military might, state machinery of coercion, of control, or …? We have many examples in contemporary history to instruct us that a state needs to be strong enough to protect itself against aggression and going beyond that is highly undesirable. The military is unable to provide capable leadership for a dynamic economy, long-term political stability, and intellectual and cultural vitality. This point is borne out by contemporary history; a good example is Pakistan. State strength is not the same as authoritarianism, for the latter lacks legitimacy and uses state apparatus to suppress opposition. A coercive state is “strong” when it comes to persecuting its people. But such a state can collapse like a pack of cards; just think of the Ceauşescu regime of Romania in 1989.

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Acknowledgments

This paper is an extended version of two earlier drafts. The first draft was presented at the Asia Pacific Sociological Association Conference “Transforming Societies: Contestation and Convergences in Asia and the Pacific” 15–16 Feb 2014. The second draft was delivered as an invited lecture at a workshop on ASEAN at Chiang Mai University, Thailand on 20th September 2014. The author thanks Professor Chayan Vaddhanaphuti of CMU for the invitation, and the participants at the Conference and the workshop. Thanks are due to Professor Rahman Embong of National University of Malaysia and Mr. Edward S. Grant as well as two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ethnic Studies and Development, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Michael S. H. Heng

  2. Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, National University of Malaysia, Bangi Selangor, Malaysia

    Michael S. H. Heng

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  1. Michael S. H. Heng
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Correspondence to Michael S. H. Heng.

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Heng, M.S.H. Advancing Community Building for ASEAN. East Asia 32, 421–440 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-015-9238-2

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