College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Political Science

MODULE 4.2
REGIONALIZATION

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After going through this module, you should be able to:

1. Assess the relevance of the ASEAN in the context of regionalization;

2. Classify and organize the data that are relevant to the understanding of the South China Sea Arbitration;
and
3. Make a reflection on the effects of McDonaldization and glocalization on one’s personal life.

TOPIC OUTLINE

I. Regionalization vis-à-vis Regionalism

II. Asian Regionalism
III. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
IV. The South China Sea Arbitration

OVERVIEW

Another door of opportunity for meaningful learning has just opened. Keep track on your journey to the
wonderful contemporary world!

This module introduces you to the concept of regionalization. It also probes the mechanism of a unique
integration of the Asian regions and how nation-states approach the challenges of world homogenization and
division.

ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Write AGREE if you think the statement is correct; otherwise, write DISAGREE.

__________1. Regionalization and globalization can be used interchangeably.

__________2. Regionalism and regionalization are the same concepts.
__________3. ASEAN means Association of South East Asia.
__________4. The term Asia was coined by Asians themselves.
__________5. All the submissions of the Philippines before the Permanent Court of Arbitration were granted.

DISCUSSION

The processes of globalization and regionalization reemerged during the 1980s and heightened after the end
of the Cold War in the 1990s. At first, it seems that these two processes are contradicting – the very nature of
globalization is, by definition, global while regionalization is naturally regional. (Aldama, 2018)

This module focuses on the meaning of regionalization through the discussion of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) roles and functions, the South China Sea Arbitration, and how different Asian states
confront challenges of globalization and regionalization through regionalism.

SOC SCI 103N – The Contemporary World Page 1 of 6

 I. Regionalization vis-à-vis Regionalism

Hurrell (1995) defines regionalization as the growth of societal integration within a region and to the often
undirected processes of social and economic interaction.

Regionalism is the formal process of intergovernmental collaboration between two or more states. (Ravenhill,
2008; Eliassen & Arnadottir, 2012)

According to Mansfield & Wilmer (1993), regionalism refers to regional concentration of economic flows while
regionalization refers to a political process by economic policy if cooperation and coordination are present
among countries.

II. Asian Regionalism

Britannica (2021) summarizes Asia, to wit:

Asia, Largest continent on Earth. It is bounded

by the Arctic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. The
western boundary, with Europe, runs roughly north-
south along the eastern Ural Mountains; the
Caspian, Black, Aegean, and Mediterranean seas;
the Suez Canal; and the Red Sea. The islands of Sri
Lanka and Taiwan and the archipelagoes of
Indonesia (excluding New Guinea), the Philippines,
and Japan also form part of Asia. Area: 17,226,000
sq mi (44,614,000 sq km). Mountains and plateaus
predominate on the continent, with the highest
mountains located in Central Asia and north of the Source: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. "Asia summary". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29
Indian subcontinent. Terrain features include Earth’s Apr. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/summary/Asia.

highest peak, Mount Everest, at 29,035 ft (8,850 m)

in the Himalayas, and the lowest natural point on Earth, the Dead Sea, measured in the mid-2010s at about 1,410
ft (430 m) below sea level. The largest of Asia’s many arid regions are the Arabian, Gobi, and Kyzylkum deserts. It
has some of the longest rivers in the world, including the Euphrates, Tigris, Indus, Ganges (Ganga), Yangtze
(Chang; the longest river in Asia), Huang He (Yellow), Ob, Yenisey, and Lena. The Caspian, Aral, and Dead seas
are major saltwater lakes. About one-fifth of Asia’s landmass is arable. Its principal language groups include Sino-
Tibetan, Indo-Aryan, Austronesian, Austroasiatic, and Semitic; important singular languages include Japanese
and Korean. East Asia contains three main ethnic groups: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. The Indian
subcontinent is home to a vast diversity of peoples, most of whom speak languages from the Indo-Aryan
subgroup of the Indo-European family. Because of the influence of China and the former Soviet Union, the
Mandarin Chinese dialect and the Russian language are used widely. Asia is the birthplace of all the world’s
major religions and hundreds of minor ones. Hinduism is the oldest major religion to have originated in southern
Asia; Jainism and Buddhism emerged in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, respectively. Southwest Asia was the
cradle of the so-called Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Daoism and Confucianism, both of
which originated in the 6th or 5th century BCE, have profoundly influenced Chinese culture and the cultures of
surrounding peoples. Asia is marked by great disparities in wealth. A few countries—notably Japan, Singapore,
and the oil-rich countries of the Arabian Peninsula—have attained high standards of living; others, such as
Bangladesh and Myanmar, are among the poorest. Between those two extremes lie Russia, China, and India.
Asia is a land of great cultural diversity, but there are five main cultural influences: Chinese, Indian, Islamic,
European, and Central Asian. China has had great influence in East Asia as the source of Confucianism, artistic
styles, and the Chinese writing system. Indian influence has been expressed through Hinduism and Buddhism,
affecting the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Central Asia. Islam spread from its
original Arabian home to become important in the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, and elsewhere.
Members of the earlier human species Homo erectus migrated from Africa to East Asia at least one million years
ago. One of the earliest civilizations to use writing developed in the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys (i.e.,
Mesopotamia) c. 3000 BCE. Civilization in the Indus River valley and in northern Syria followed c. mid-3rd
millennium BCE. Chinese urban civilization began with the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE) and continued
under the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE). Indo-European-speaking peoples (Aryans) began to invade India from
the west c. 2000–1500 BCE and developed the Vedic religion. A succession of empires and charismatic rulers,
including the Macedonian Alexander the Great, spread their political control as far as military power could carry
them. In the 13th century CE Genghis Khan and his Mongol successors united much of Asia under their rule. In the
14th century the Turkic warlord Timur (Tamerlane) conquered much of Central Asia. Muslim Turks destroyed the
remnants of the Byzantine Empire in the 15th century. In the 19th century European imperialism began to replace
Asian imperialism. Tsarist Russia pushed its political control across Asia to the Pacific Ocean, the British gained
control of India and Burma (Myanmar), the French dominated eastern mainland Southeast Asia (called French
Indochina), the Dutch occupied the East Indies (Indonesia), and the Spanish and later the U.S. ruled the
Philippines. After World War II (1939–45), European imperialism steadily disappeared as former colonies gained
independence in the second half of the 20th century.

SOC SCI 103N – The Contemporary World Page 2 of 6

 Asian regionalism is a new concept among the continental communities (Brazalote, 2019). Accordingly, there
are some aspects that led to a greater Asian integration, such as:

1. Integration has been market-driven.

2. Formal institutions were established.
3. Economic grants and overseas development assistance are made available by better Asian economies.
4. Production networks have expanded.
5. Cooperation among the ASEAN and East Asian countries ensued the ASEAN +3 Financial Ministers’
Process.
6. ASEAN follows a consensus rule as an approach to decision-making.

III. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

In his article, Moon (2022) writes:

ASEAN, in full Association of Southeast Asian Nations, international organization established by the
governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand in 1967 to accelerate
economic growth, social progress, and cultural development and to promote peace and security in
Southeast Asia. Brunei joined in 1984, followed by Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Myanmar in 1997, and
Cambodia in 1999. The ASEAN region has a population of more than 600 million and covers a total area
of 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square km). ASEAN replaced the Association of South East Asia (ASA),
which had been formed by the Philippines, Thailand, and the Federation of Malaya (now part of
Malaysia) in 1961. Under the banner of cooperative peace and shared prosperity, ASEAN’s chief projects
centre on economic cooperation, the promotion of trade among ASEAN countries and between ASEAN
members and the rest of the world, and programs for joint research and technical cooperation among
member governments.

Held together somewhat tenuously in its early years, ASEAN achieved a new cohesion in the mid-
1970s following the changed balance of power in Southeast Asia after the end of the Vietnam War. The
region’s dynamic economic growth during the 1970s strengthened the organization, enabling ASEAN to
adopt a unified response to Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia in 1979. ASEAN’s first summit meeting, held
in Bali, Indonesia, in 1976, resulted in an agreement on several industrial projects and the signing of a
Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and a Declaration of Concord.

The end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s
allowed ASEAN countries to exercise greater political independence in the region, and in the 1990s ASEAN
emerged as a leading voice on regional trade and security issues. For example, ASEAN adopted a
declaration to resolve disputes in the South China Sea, promoted dialogue on regional security by
establishing the ASEAN Regional Forum, and worked to resolve the conflict in East Timor. In 1992 members
reduced intraregional tariffs and eased restrictions on foreign investment by creating the ASEAN Free
Trade Area.

To signal ASEAN’s commitment to international diplomacy, human rights, and democratic values, its
member countries signed the ASEAN Charter in 2007. Following its ratification by all 10 member states, the
charter entered into force in December 2008. Among other things, the charter conferred legal personality
on ASEAN, increased the frequency of ASEAN summit meetings, and established the ASEAN
Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

ASEAN summit meetings, which have been scheduled to occur semiannually since the adoption of
the charter, bring together the heads of state of member countries; there are also annual conferences
for foreign ministers. Relations between ASEAN and other countries are conducted through ASEAN Plus
Three, an annual meeting of the heads of state of ASEAN members and the leaders of China, the Republic
of Korea, and Japan; ASEAN Plus Six, which includes ASEAN Plus Three and Australia, India, and New
Zealand; and the East Asia Summit, a meeting of ASEAN Plus Six and Russia and the United States. Between
ASEAN summit meetings the organization’s business is directed by a standing committee consisting of the
foreign minister of the host country of the ministerial conferences and ambassadors from the other
countries. A permanent secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, is headed by a secretary-general, whose
position rotates every five years. The organization encompasses a number of committees, including
technical committees on finance, agriculture, industry, trade, and transportation. The committees are
supplemented by working groups headed by experts and various private-sector organizations.

III.A. The ASEAN Charter

Read the full text of the ASEAN Charter here.

SOC SCI 103N – The Contemporary World Page 3 of 6
 III.B. Purposes of the ASEAN

Pursuant to Chapter I, Article 1 of the ASEAN Charter, the purposes of the ASEAN are:

1. To maintain and enhance peace, security and stability and further strengthen peace-oriented values
in the region;

2. To enhance regional resilience by promoting greater political, security, economic and socio-cultural
cooperation;

3. To preserve Southeast Asia as a Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone and free of all other weapons of mass
destruction;

4. To ensure that the peoples and Member States of ASEAN live in peace with the world at large in a
just, democratic, and harmonious environment;

5. To create a single market and production base which is stable, prosperous, highly competitive, and
economically integrated with effective facilitation for trade and investment in which there is free flow
of goods, services and investment; facilitated movement of business persons, professionals, talents
and labour; and freer flow of capital;

6. To alleviate poverty and narrow the development gap within ASEAN through mutual assistance and
cooperation;

7. To strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to promote and
protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, with due regard to the rights and responsibilities of
the Member States of ASEAN;

8. To respond effectively, in accordance with the principle of comprehensive security, to all forms of
threats, transnational crimes and transboundary challenges;

9. To promote sustainable development so as to ensure the protection of the region’s environment, the
sustainability of its natural resources, the preservation of its cultural heritage and the high quality of life
of its peoples;

10. To develop human resources through closer cooperation in education and life-long learning, and in
science and technology, for the empowerment of the peoples of ASEAN and for the strengthening
of the ASEAN Community;

11. To enhance the well-being and livelihood of the peoples of ASEAN by providing them with equitable
access to opportunities for human development, social welfare and justice;

12. To strengthen cooperation in building a safe, secure, and drug-free environment for the peoples of
ASEAN;

13. To promote a people-oriented ASEAN in which all sectors of society are encouraged to participate
in, and benefit from, the process of ASEAN integration and community building;

14. To promote an ASEAN identity through the fostering of greater awareness of the diverse culture and
heritage of the region; and

15. To maintain the centrality and proactive role of ASEAN as the primary driving force in its relations and
cooperation with its external partners in a regional architecture that is open, transparent and inclusive.

III.C. Organs of the ASEAN

The organs of the ASEAN are as follows:

1. ASEAN Summit
2. ASEAN Coordinating Council.
3. ASEAN Community Schools
4. ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies
5. ASEAN Secretariat
SOC SCI 103N – The Contemporary World Page 4 of 6
 6. Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN
7. ASEAN National Secretariats
8. ASEAN Human Rights Body
9. ASEAN Foundation

IV. The South China Sea Arbitration

On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration rendered a decision over the contested South China
Sea which reads: On 22 January, 2013, the Republic of the Philippines instituted arbitral proceedings against the
People’s Republic of China under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The
arbitration concerned the role of historic rights and the source of maritime entitlements in the South China Sea,
the status of certain maritime features in the South China Sea, and the lawfulness of certain actions by China in
the South China Sea that the Philippines alleged to be in violation of the Convention. China adopted a position
of non-acceptance and non-participation in the proceedings. The Permanent Court of Arbitration served as
Registry in this arbitration.

Read the decision here.

SUMMARY

Globalization and regionalization are the same for they both refer to integration. Their difference lies on the
scope. Globalization is worldwide, while regionalization focuses on a specific geographical region. Moreover,
the establishment of collaborations and cooperation based on respect made Asian nations stronger than ever.

ACTIVITY

Position Paper

Directions:
1. Write a position paper on the issue of the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea between the Republic of
the Philippines and the People's Republic of China.
2. This is a group activity. Go to Canvas’ Collaborations to see your groupmates. Use the Google document
attached thereto.
3. The maximum number of pages is 20. Of course, a two-page paper will be met with derision and a
guaranteed failing score.
4. Save your paper in .pdf and .docx formats and submit it in the submission bin under Module 4.
5. Your paper must include an introduction, body, and conclusion.
6. The title of your paper must be written in bold, in capital letters, and in center alignment. Only the names
of members who made actual contributions to the paper must be written below the title of your paper.
7. Use the following format:
a. Main Text Font Style and Size: Century Gothic, 12
b. Footnote Font Style and Size: Century Gothic, 10
c. Citation: APA
d. Margin: 1x1x1x1 inch
e. Paper Size: 8.5 x 13
f. Spacing: Single
g. Pagination: Page x of y

READINGS AND REFERENCES

Documentary Film
“The Case of the West Philippine Sea by Justice Antonio T. Carpio” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If-
jpt8Oos4

Readings
Shiraishi, T. (2004). The rise of new urban middle classes in Southeast Asia: What is its national and regional
significance? The Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry, 237-271.

SOC SCI 103N – The Contemporary World Page 5 of 6

References
Aldama, P.K. (2018). The Contemporary World. Quezon City: REX Book Store, Inc.
Brazalote, T. (2019). The Contemporary World. Quezon City: C&E Publishing, Inc.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021). Asia summary. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/summary/Asia
Eliassen, K. & Arnadottir, A. (2012). Southeast Asia and European integration compared. In M. Telo (ed). European
Union and new regionalism: Competing regionalism. London, UK: Routledge.
Hurrel, A. (1995). Regionalism in theoretical perspective. In L. Fawcett & A. Hurrel (Eds.). Regionalism in world
politics: Regional organization and international order. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Mansfield, E.D. & Milner, H.V. (1993). The new wave of regionalism. International Organization, 53(2).
Moon, C. (2022). ASEAN. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/ASEAN
Ravenhill, J. (2008). Global political economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

NOTICE
All rights reserved. No part of this material 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 written
permission of the owner.

Prepared by:

JEFFERSON M. DELMENDO, BA
Faculty Member, Department of Political Science
College of Arts and Sciences
University of the Cordilleras
Gov. Pack Road, Baguio City 2600
Benguet, CAR, Philippines

SOC SCI 103N – The Contemporary World Page 6 of 6