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ASEAN('S) WAY OF CONFLICT

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June 2019 · Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 58(1)
DOI: 10.46568/jssh.v58i1.134
Authors:

Naureen Nazar Phd

University of Sindh

Sohni Siddiqui

Ronaque Ali Behan

University of Sindh

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References (21)

Abstract
Discover the world's
ASEAN is widely praised for its establishing regional cooperation among research
countries of Southeast Asia and attracting countries from rest of the world
too because of its core objective of bringing peace and stability in the 20+ million members
region. Promotion of regional trade and investment followed by
135+ million publications
unprecedented economic growth is the major credit of ASEAN which is
widely appreciated. Nevertheless, despite 50 years of its age, it hasn't 700k+ research projects
been fully successful in managing internal conflicts among its member
states and conflicts with external states. Its ineffectiveness to manage
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conflicts have raised concerns over the relevance of ASEAN in 21 st
century where Asian continent is said to be playground for major powers
because of shifting of epicenter of International Politics from America and
Europe to Asia. ASEAN's role is limited by its charter of Non-interference
into the internal affairs of its member states. This article looks into the
basic weaknesses in ASEAN as an organization thus providing
recommendation to overcome its shortcomings and improve its
performance. The article concludes that ASEAN, because of increasing
demands of amendments in conflict management techniques due to
changes in the nature of conflict, needs to transform from its modest
goals and principles to deal with conflict to new trends of conflict
management, perhaps from soft mediation to hard mediation in near
future.

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Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 139

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT:
ASEAN(‘S) WAY OF CONFLICT MANAGEM ENT: ACTIVE AND EFFECTIVE
ROLE
Naureen Nazar Soomro*
Ronaque Ali Behan**
Sohni Siddiqui***

Abstract

ASEAN is widely praised for its establishin

establishing
g regional cooperation among countries of
Southeast Asia and attracting countries from rest of the world too because o f its core
objective of bringing peace and stability in the region. Promotion of regional trade and
investment fo followed
llowed by unprecedented eco economic
nomic gro
growth
wth is the major credit of A SEAN
which is widely appreciated. Nevertheless, despite 50 years of its age, it hasn’t been fully
successful in mana
managing
ging internal conflicts among its member states and conflicts with
external states. Its ineffectiveness to manage co conflicts
nflicts have raised concerns over the
relevance of ASEAN in 21st century where Asian continent is said to b e playground for
major powers because
becau se of shifting of epicenter of International Politics from America and
Europe to Asia. ASEAN’s role is is limited by its charter of Non-interference into the
internal affairs of its member states. This article looks into the basic weaknesses in
ASEAN as an organization thus providing
provid ing recommendation to overcome its shortcomings
sho rtcomings
and improve its performance. The article concludes that ASEAN, because of increasing
demands of amendments in conflict management
managemen t techniques due to changes in the nature
of conflict,
con flict, needs to transform from its modest
mod est goals
goa ls and principles to deal with conflict
con flict
to new trends of conflict mana
management,
gement, perhaps
perhap s from soft mediation
m ediation to hard mediation in
near future.

Keywords:: ASEAN Way, conflict management, non-interference,

Keywords non -interference, third-party mediation

Introduction

In international politics,
politic s, the concept of regionalism has been gaining grounds. The
regional organizations have been playing their ro role
le of security and defense actively and
effectively under
u nder the capacities of defense alliances, as agencies that facilitate
facilita te economic
development and technological progress. The or organizations
ganizations have also played si significant
gnificant
role in reducing the regional conflicts.
c onflicts. The increase of inter- and intra-state
intra -state conflicts and
the limitations of United Nations in dealing with internal matters 1 have enhanced the role
of regional organizations in peacemaking
peace making and most importantly
importan tly in peacekeeping. ASEAN
– The Association of Southeast
Sout heast Asian Nations was formed in 1967 by Indonesia,

*
Naureen Nazar Soomro, Ph.D., Assistant Professor,
Professor, Area Study Centre, Far East & Southeast Asia, University
of Sindh, Jamshoro
**
Ronaque Ali Behan, Lecturer, Area Study Centre, Far East & Southeast Asia,
Asia, University of Sindh, Jamshoro
***
Sohni Siddiqui, M.Phil. Scholar, Iqra University,
University, Karachi
1
Rajshree Jetly, “Conflict Management SAARC,” The Pacific Review,
Management Strategies in ASEAN: Perspectives for SAARC,”
16, no.1 (2003): 54.

140 ASEAN(‘S) Way of Conflict Management:

ASEAN(‘S)
Active and Effective Role

Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore

S ingapore and Thailand. Other
Ot her Southeast Asian countries
co untries
including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and a nd Vietnam j oined the a ssociation later
on. T he Secretariat
Secretar iat of ASEAN is located in Indonesia at its capital city of Jakarta. The
highest body for decision-making is i s ASEAN Summit which meets annually. Also,
annually he
held
ld are the meetings called Ministerial Meetings which co comprise
mprise of foreign
ministers of the member states.

The Bangkok Declaration signed in 1967, which was founding declaration declaratio n of ASE
ASEAN,
AN,
called for
for promotion
promotion of regional peace and stability because most of the states in the
region have gained independence from colonial rule and were in the phase of rebuilding
themselves economically and politically 2 The ASEAN’s effectiveness in terms of
regional securit
securityy and peace started in 1976 when
when its first Summit was held where the
non-intervention in domestic affairs, avoidance of use of force and discouraging
boundary disputes were decided amongst the member states. Since, the events of
Philippines renouncing ofo f his country’s claims on Sabah in 1977
19 77 Summit of ASEAN and
the success in the diplo
diplomatic
matic realm where ASEAN members diplomatically pressurized
Hanoi to back off of its 1978 invasion of Cambodia, made ASEAN ASE AN recognized on
international forum the most successful organization in the W orld. 3 The purpose of
t he Third World. of
the present study is therefore to ascertain the t he effectiveness of conflict
co nflict management
techniques used by ASEAN to ensure the peace and security in Southeast
Southea st Asia.

The rest of this papers has been organized in the following way: section
sectio n one
o ne introduces
the is
issue;
sue; section two provid
provides es the readers with the statement of the problem; section
three gives significance of the study; section four reviews
rev iews the
t he relevant literature; section
five defines
d efines the methodolo
methodologygy that has been employed; section six discusses the problem
statement in the light ofo f literature reviewed and results obtained by means of data
collection; section seven concludes the paper.

Statement of the Problem

The Association of SoutheSoutheastast Asian nations (ASEAN) is the leading regional

organization of the
t he South Eas
Eastt Asian
Asia n Countries.
Countrie s. It was
was established
es tablished in 1967 with the aiaim
m
of improvement in economic development, social progress and cultural development,
promotion of peace and stability
sta bility through abiding by theth e rule of law, besides other
o ther
objectives of collab
collaboration
oration and cocooperation
operation among memember
mber states. For being one o f its
core objectives and focusing on bringing upon peace in Southeast Asia, ASEAN is
widely praised for its establishing regional cooperation among the countries and
attracting countries from rest of the world too. Promotion of regional trade and
investment followed by u nprecedented economic growth is the major credit of ASEAN
which is widely
widel y appreciated. However,
Ho wever, despite 50 years of its age, it has bitterly failed to
manage not only internal conflicts of its member states but also conflicts of its members
with external states. Its ineffectiveness
ineffe ctiveness to manage conflicts have raised concerns over the
relevance of
o f ASEAN in 21 2 1st century where Asian continent is said to be playground for

2
Ibid., 55.
Ibid.,
3
Kripa Sridharan, “Regional Organizations and Conflict Management: Comparing
Comparing ASEAN and SAARC,”
Crisis States Working Papers Series No.
No. 2 (2008): 5.
5.

Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 141

the major powers as the epicenter of International Politics is shifting frofrom

m America and
Europe to Asia. ASEAN is bitterly criticized for its inability to solvesolve b ilateral dispute
between Cambodia and Thailand, b etween Laos and Cam Cambodia
bodia and between Myanmar
M yanmar
and T hailand. In Myanmar, the violation of human rights has also invited criticism o f
scholars against effectiveness of ASEAN. Moreover, South China Sea dispute between between
China and some of the member states of ASEAN is yet another an other major issue spoiling the
image of ASEAN and questioning its relevance as the sole body of the South East Asian
states to manage their conflicts. Amer 4, nevertheless, believes that the Association’s
failure to manage inter-state disputes of the region can ca n be attributed to the parties
involved and not to the As Association
sociation as such. As for t he b ilateral conflicts of ASEA
ASEAN N
members are concerned ASEAN’s role is limited by its charter of Non -interference into
Non-interference
the internal affairs of its member
me mber states. Issue of Human
H uman Rights violation in Myanmar is
always defended by Myanmar as its internalinternal matter. For the management of external
conflicts i.e. Sout
Southh China Sea problem between China, Vietnam, Philippines and
Malaysia, ASEAN has signed Code of Conduct with China, but it is yet to bear fruitful
results as issue remains unresolved and both parties continue to challenge their claims.

Significance of Study

The 21st century is projected

pro jected as the Asian century where Asian continent is said to be the
epicenter of international politics. Emerging China, prospering
p rospering India, buoying Japan and
vibrant economic performance of ASEAN are some major factors inspiring major powers
to participate
par ticipate in the affairs of the Asian continent. Thus, studying the t he role of ASEAN in
conflict management is significant in many ways. Firstly, this study will help to look into
the basic weaknesses in the ASEAN as an or organization
ganization thus providing guidelines to
overcome its shortcomings and improve i mprove its performance. Secondly, this study will
provide a feedback to the policy makers to formulate their policies with regards to
establishing their
the ir ties with ASEAN. Thirdly, the study will help the research scholarssc holars to
find some different perspectives
p erspectives for their research
resear ch studies, projects etc. Lastly, this study
will add to the existing knowledge about the ASEAN and dynamics dynamic s of regional politics of
South East Asia.

Literature Review

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s role as conflict manager can
ca n be
analyzed by means of understanding
underst anding the mechanism the Association
As sociation adopts in managing
conflicts. The organizations sometimes
so metimes establish their own ways or mechanisms to
resolve the issues the member states face. Same is the case with ASEAN. Majumdar
states that through Bangkok Declaration, the Association ‘outlined
‘outlined a new venture of
regionalism and symbolized the beginning of a process of accommodation among its
member and the ASEAN conflict management process’. 5

4
Ramses Amer, “The Conflict Management Association of Southeast Asian
Management Framework of the Association Asian Nations
(ASEAN),” in Conflict Management and Dispute
Dispute Settlement in East Asia,
Asia, ed. Ramses Amer,
Amer, and Keyuan Zou,
(London and New York: Routledge,
Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2016): 54.
5
Munmum Majumdar,
Majumdar, “The ASEAN Way Sea,” Strategic Analysis,
Way of Conflict Management in South China Sea,”
39, no. 1 (2015): 73.

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Ramses Amer

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Conflict management strategies in ASEAN: perspectives for SAARC

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Expanding ASEAN's conflict management framework in Southeast Asia: The border dispute
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