POSCI 53 International Relations Written Report

REGIONALISM IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Bhea R. Paje

AB POLSCI 2A

Objectives:

At the end of the discussion the student should be able to:

1. Analyze how regionalism shape advantages and disadvantages.

2. Differentiate regional cooperation and integration.
3. Understand the impact of regionalism in different continents.

Executive Summary

Regionalism has become a significant aspect of international affairs, with 287 regional trade
agreements. It challenges the conventional dominant role of nations in global affairs and encompasses
collaboration and unification. In this chapter we will look on how regional cooperations work on
different continents. This poses a fundamental reconsideration of the customary central status of states
in the sphere of international relations and is characterized by concerted efforts and harmonious
integration. In Africa, modern regionalism emerged from anti-colonial policies and existing colonial
arrangements. In Eurasia, regional agreements are driven by the efforts of the former federal republics
to create an area of cooperation and influence between Russia, China and the
EU. Regional agreements were concluded in connection with the economic and political competition
between Russia and the EU, especially in the and; divided neighborhood.

INTRODUCTION REGIONAL COOPERATION AND

Regionalism has become a pervasive feature of INTEGRATION

international affairs. According to the World
Trade Organization (WTO), 287 regional trade
agreements were in force as of 1 May 2018
(WTO 2018b). Regional peacekeeping forces
have become active in multiple parts of the
world. In the last several decades regionalism
has become one of the forces challenging the
traditional centrality of states in international
relations.
The word ‘region’ and its derivatives denote
one distinguishable part of some larger
geographical area. Yet these terms are used in
different ways. On the one hand, regions are
territories within a state, occasionally crossing
state borders. On the other, regions are
particular areas of the world, comprising a
number of different sovereign states. The
issues that both usages raise for international
relations have some elements in common.

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POSCI 53 International Relations
The term regionalization is often used to refer
to ‘the growth of societal integration within a
region and . . . the often undirected processes
of social and economic interaction’ (Hurrell
1995: 39).
23.1) Forms of regional cooperation
Functional cooperation refers to limited
arrangements that are agreed among states in
order to work together in particular areas, for
example in transport, energy, or health.
Economic cooperation refers to agreements
that foresee some degree of commercial
preferentialism, but with no harmonization of
domestic rules nor any obligation for common
action in international affairs.
Political cooperation entails mutual support
and commitment regarding the implementation
of certain values and practices within the
countries.
Cooperation in foreign and security policy
means that governments systematically inform
and consult each other, try to adopt common
positions in international organizations, and
may even implement joint actions elsewhere.
23.2) Regional Integration
Formal regional integration refers to
processes by which states go beyond the
removal of obstacles to interaction among
their countries to create a regional space
subject to some distinct common rules. With
regard to economic integration, several
degrees of ambition are usually distinguished:
free trade area, customs union, common
market, and economic and monetary union.
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While the distinction between cooperation and
integration does involve some clear and
fundamental choices, it should be treated with
caution. Cooperation and integration are not
mutually exclusive general approaches for
regional governance, but rather options that
may be pursued for different sectors and
dimensions of regional relations. All regional
systems, including the EU today, contain a
mixture of both cooperation and integration.
23.3) Dynamics of Regionalism
Management of independence is the settling
down by newly independent states in their
relations among themselves, with the former
colonial power, and with other powers.
Management of interdependence is the
regional mechanisms to guarantee peace and
security; responses to ‘regionalization’;
promotion of cooperation and/or state-led
integration.
Management of internationalization is the
regional negotiations in the multilateral
system; regional/UN peacekeeping; regional
responses to globalization.
Pursuit of spheres of interest or influence is
the sponsorship of regional frameworks by
major powers.
REGIONAL COOPERATION IN
GLOBAL CONTEXT
Regionalism in Americas
Regionalism in Latin America has evolved
over time due to the US's ties and
consolidation of nations. The first Pan-
American Conference in 1889 led to peace and
security accords in the 1930s and 1940s. The
POSCI 53 International Relations
Organization of American States replaced the
Pan-American Union in 1948, and the Inter-
American System faced distrust during the
Cold War. However, US policy changed in the
1980s, leading to negotiations for a free trade
agreement between the US, Canada, and
Mexico in 1986 and 1994, resulting in the
North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA). NAFTA was replaced by the
USMCA in 2018 due to US policy changes
under Trump. The first 'Summit of the
Americas' in 1994 aimed to achieve a Free
Trade Area of the Americas and deepen
cooperation on drugs, corruption, terrorism,
and sustainable development.
Latin American regionalism in the post-war
decades was influenced by state-led, import-
substituting industrialization, leading to
regional integration and the creation of the
Central American Common Market, the Latin
American Free Trade Association, and the
Andean Pact. A second wave of regional
integration began in the 1980s and 1990s, with
the Central American Integration System and
the Common Market of the South
(MERCOSUR) aiming to consolidate
hemispheric and Latin American initiatives.
However, developments in the 2000s made
this prospect doubtful, with the creation of the
Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)
in 2008 and Venezuela's suspension of
MERCOSUR membership in 2017. Renewed
moves towards broader and deeper Latin
American integration were driven less by
political radicalism and more by common
reaction against Trump's protectionism.
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Regionalism in Africa
Contemporary regionalism in Africa emerged
from anti-colonialism politics and pre-existing
colonial arrangements. French West Africa
was a federation from 1904 to 1958, with the
CFA franc as a common currency. Benin,
Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau,
Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo are members
of the West African Economic and Monetary
Union (WAEMU). In Central Africa, a
monetary union and customs union were
created in 1964, transformed into the
Economic and Monetary Community of
Central Africa (CEMAC) in 1999. The
Southern African Customs Union (SACU) was
established in 1910 and has a common
external tariff, revenue-sharing mechanism,
and a Common Monetary Area.
Colonial Kenya and Uganda formed a customs
union in 1917, which Tanzania joined in 1927.
After independence, cooperation continued
under the East African Common Services
Organization. An East African Community
was created in 1967, but it collapsed in 1977
due to political differences. The present East
African Community (EAC) was established in
2000, with a customs union formally in effect
in 2005 and a Common Market Protocol in
2010.
Some regional organizations had particular
political aspects to their founding, such as the
Southern African Development Coordination
Conference (SADCC) in 1980 to reduce
dependence on apartheid South Africa. Sub-
regional cultural identity played a particular
POSCI 53 International Relations
role in the development of African regional
organizations.
Regionalism in Asia
Regionalism in Asia has evolved through
market forces and international security
concerns, with the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) being limited
by rivalry between India and Pakistan. Since
2014, India has sought to revive the Bay of
Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical
and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC),
which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) was established in 1967 to prevent
conflicts and promote regional cooperation.
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was
created in 1994 to pursue confidence-building
measures, preventive diplomacy, and conflict
resolution. The Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) was formed in 1989 on
the principle of 'open regionalism'.
Asian regionalism is evolving on two planes:
ASEAN is moving towards institutional
deepening to preserve its position, while
regional agreements reflect rivalries among
major powers. Competition between China and
Japan initially shaped discussion of regional
agreements, with China proposing an East
Asia Free Trade Agreement based on 'ASEAN
+ 3' and Japan preferring a Comprehensive
Economic Partnership in East Asia based on
'ASEAN + 6'. Negotiations for a Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
began in 2012 between ASEAN and its FTA
partners, with the US leading a new trans-
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Pacific initiative. The Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) was signed in 2015 among
12 countries, with President Trump
withdrawing the US from the TPP in 2017.
Eurasia and post-Soviet states
The shift in regional agreements in Eurasia has
been driven by the efforts of former Soviet
Union republics to establish a zone of
cooperation and competition for influence
between Russia, China, and the EU. The
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
was created in 1991, followed by the
establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union
(EAEU) in 2015, which aimed to create a
single market. A Collective Security Treaty
was signed in 1992 and transformed into the
Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO) in 2002. These regional organizations
reflect relations between the newly
independent states and Russia, as well as
relations between Russia and other major
powers.
To the east, these regional organizations must
be understood against the background of
rivalries between Russia and China, as well as
partially shared concerns between those two
powers regarding the role of the US. The
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
was created by China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in 1996, which was
transformed into the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) in 2002. India and
Pakistan became full members in 2017, while
Iran and Mongolia are observers.
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In late 2013, China unveiled its Belt and Road
Initiative, promoting China's regional
leadership to its west. Discussion of links
between this initiative and the EAEU began in
2014, leading to President Putin's call for a
'Greater Eurasian Partnership' among the
EAEU, China, India, and other countries.
To the west, sub-regional agreements have
occurred in the context of economic and
political competition between Russia and the
EU, particularly in the 'shared neighbourhood',
which includes six countries that were once
part of the former Soviet Union. Tensions
came to a head in Ukraine in 2013, where the
EU offered Ukraine an Association
Agreement, including a Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).
The process of European integration
The European Union (EU) has evolved from a
West European creation in the 1950s to an
important political and economic actor with
significant international and domestic impact.
The EU is increasingly seen as a system of
multilevel governance, involving a plurality of
actors on different territorial levels:
supranational, national, and sub-state. The
2004/2007 enlargements brought in 12
Central, East, and South European countries,
which has been further enhanced by the
Lisbon Treaty in 2009. Despite these far-
reaching reforms, the EU has faced several
crises since the mid-2010s, including the
eurozone crisis in 2015, tensions between the
UK and the EU, and a growing threat to liberal
values. The EU has been unprepared for the
sudden increase in refugees, leading to the
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reintroduction of national border controls and
suspension of key parts of the European
asylum regime. The confluence of these crises
has led to some observers discussing the
prospect of regional disintegration in Europe.
The European Union (EU) has faced several
crises since the mid-2010s, including the 2015
refugee crisis, tensions between the UK and
the EU, and threats to liberal values. The EU
was unprepared for the sudden increase in
refugees, leading to the reintroduction of
national border controls and suspension of key
parts of the European asylum regime. In 2016,
a UK referendum resulted in a majority vote in
favor of leaving the EU, causing wide-ranging
political and economic implications. The need
for consensus in the Council has hindered
decisive responses. Despite these crises, the
EU has survived and shown remarkable unity
of purpose in the context of Brexit, Russia's
annexation of Crimea, and the threat of a trade
war with the US.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, regionalism is a global
phenomenon. It is not the case that the entire
world is engulfed in a single process of
globalization, or that the world is being
divided along simple ideological or
civilizational fault-lines. Rather, different parts
of the globe are looking for different ways to
accommodate themselves in the globalized
world order, and regional arrangements are
one important way of doing so. The ways in
which different regional mechanisms develop
are contingent on a multitude of factors, both
internal and external to the region. Both the
POSCI 53 International Relations Written Report

driving forces for more regional integration

and cooperation, and the obstacles that may
limit those aspirations, vary across the
different continents. Even as multilateralism in
global politics is being challenged, regionalism
remains as a global phenomenon, but so do the
differences among the kinds of regional
arrangements that are being developed in
different parts of the globe.

REFERENCES

Baylis, et.al. (2019). The Globalization of

World Politics, An introduction to
International Relations.

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