The Association of SouthEast Asia Nations (ASEAN)

Over the inception of Association of SouthEast Asia Nations (ASEAN) in 1967 by the
countries Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, nations set the goal of
bringing conveniences to their citizens' lives. With an aims to foster culture of ongoing respect
for justice and the rule of law in international relations, the organization hopes to accelerate
regional economic growth, social advancement, and cultural development as well as regional
peace and stability.
With that moment, other nations have joined ASEAN, including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar, and Vietnam. Almost 625 million people, or 8.8% of the world's population, live in
ASEAN countries together. (Nuclear Threat Initiative, 2022)
The intergovernmental organization, which is based on three pillars, collaborates to
advance ideas in politics, business, and culture. The primary goal of the ASEAN
Political-Security Community (APSC) is to fortify the political-security climate within ASEAN.
One the one hand, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) was established largely to
build a single market to guarantee the free movement of skilled people, investments, and
commodities and services. By removing trade obstacles and facilitating trade of both
commodities and services inside the area, interregional commerce is expected to become more
open in this case. In fact, Mr. John Rey Tianco, who was the Mayor of Navotas, said that "the
fully established ASEAN Economic Community might imply cheaper taxes and tariffs for
imported items and this, in turn, could lead to lower cost of living and a larger buying power for
us."
Last but not least, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) seeks to establish a
socially responsible area that exhibits solidarity and togetherness while preserving a shared
social identity. The ASEAN Defense Industry Cooperation, which intends to improve security
cooperation in marine security, humanitarian aid and disaster relief, counterterrorism, and
military medicine, is another suggested pillar.

The ASEAN Integration

With infrastructure, human resource development, information sharing, and

communications, the initiative for ASEAN integration encourages through concerted efforts,
effective cooperation, and mutual assistance to narrow the development gap among ASEAN
members and between ASEAN and the rest of the world. The free movement of money, people
resources, technology, commodities, and services; greater military cooperation and industrial
production; open access to travel, tourism, education, health care, and other social services
are among the objectives of ASEAN integration.
For an instance, skilled work will be available easing the restriction for opportunities. By
making it easier for professionals and skilled workers to get visas and employment permits,
ASEAN integration intends to enable the free movement of laborers with the necessary skills.
This will "provide stronger protection for Filipinos currently working overseas," in the context of
OFWs. (Gutierrez, 2017).
Moreover, universities in the ASEAN region are working to improve their collaboration in
order to encourage student mobility. K–12 education, which strives to maintain the Philippines'
educational level on par with that of other ASEAN regions, is one outcome of ASEAN
integration. The Southeast Asian postsecondary students and mid-career professionals will be
supported by a $10 million scholarship initiative, Canada's minister of foreign affairs stated
during the 2017 ASEAN regional meeting in Manila.
Subsequently, ASEAN nations may get graduate-level scholarships from the National
University of Singapore. The solutions for faster and less expensive travel Visa-free travel is
made possible by ASEAN integration for nations like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
Members "agreed many initiatives to boost travel throughout the Southeast Asian area" during
the 23rd ASEAN Transport Ministers Conference in October 2017. (Eastvantage, 2017).
Access to medical treatment is made simpler; the member countries have not been fully
integrated due to the organization's continued adherence to a neo-liberal model that prioritizes
corporate interests and elite groups, including state-owned enterprises, over the interests of
the people (Gutierrez, 2017). ASEAN integration would allow service providers to establish
companies across nations, allowing ASEAN citizens to have easier access to medical care.
However, economic integration is expensive and will need a lot of work from the
participating nations. The economic integration is expensive to implement in economically
varied nations, particularly as the majority of ASEAN nations have low and moderate incomes
and just a small number have stronger economic positions. The certain ASEAN nations also
have significant rates of inflation, which causes disparities in price levels and levels of buying
power across ASEAN members. As a result, certain nations could be able to buy more
products from other union members. Certain ASEAN union members "do not have the requisite
financial sector" to smoothly manage the integration procedures. Since national systems are so
drastically different, economic integration is challenging. Since each member state has its own,
sometimes at odds with one another, policy towards noninterference and coordination with
other members, the member states are not in agreement on how the "ASEAN Way" should be
implemented. (Ramirez & Poolttlwong, 2018)

The ASEAN Intergration and Political Issues

In the last month of 2017, defense ministers came to the following agreements: to
reaffirm freedom of navigation in and above the South China Sea; to pursue peaceful dispute
resolution in accordance with international law and UNCLOS; to make HADR, the Direct
Communications Infrastructure, and the Center of Military Medicine operational; to fight
terrorism in all of its forms; and to express grave concern over tensions on the Korean
Peninsula (Alunan, 2017).

The fact that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is made up of 10
distinct countries that each have their own legislation presents a difficulty for the authorities who
are tasked with developing a comprehensive policy that is applicable to all of the members. The
member states are working hard to implement policies that take into account the many ways in
which they align. Newer members like Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos are emphasizing
"noninterference," while more established nations are putting more of an emphasis on
"cooperation and coordination."

ASEAN Integration as Compromise and Consensus Politics

One school of thought maintains that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) pursues a politics of conflict resolution that places a premium on compromise,
conciliation, and negotiation rather than force and violence. Hence, in contrast to what I
referred to as a "military" response, the "political" solution to a problem is comprised of
discussions, debates, and other nonviolent forms of conflict resolution. A perspective like this is
founded on the notion that friendly conversation has the potential to be an effective means of
settling disagreements. It challenges the notion that disagreements are impossible to settle by
putting more of a focus on the possibility of reaching an agreement or consensus on important
issues.
The ASEAN Integration Process is primarily concerned with the countries of southeast
asia working together to accelerate social and economic advancement through calm
conversations, negotiations, and debates between member leaders. The integration that was
discussed before is now being accepted and developed as an alternative to the use of force
and raw strength. This is made abundantly obvious at the twice-yearly ASEAN Summits, which
bring together world leaders to discuss a variety of global themes and problems while
simultaneously increasing cooperation and decision-making among ASEAN member countries.
In the end, as a result of its emphasis on consultation, consensus, and
non-interference, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is constrained to adopt
only those policies that are acceptable to the largest possible population. It is necessary for
members of ASEAN to arrive at a conclusion that everyone agrees with before the organization
can go forward with addressing a problem.

Conclusion
ASEAN has seen a number of shifts in recent years. Merely cooperating and donating
goods they have through free commerce allowed nations inside the organization to adapt the
changes brought about by the ASEAN, which may also aid the other countries in the ASEAN.
The group seeks to resolve problems among Southeast Asian states and promotes harmony,
wealth, progress, and sustainability. However, the advantages of integration may not always be
shared by everybody and may even be at odds with personal preferences. This is also for the
fact that ASEAN integration endangers the Philippine agriculture industry because of
heightened competition.

REFERENCES:
Alunan, R. M. (2017). How is ASEAN integration coming along?. Retrieved Feruary 18, 2023,
from https://www.bworldonline.com/asean-integration-coming-along/

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Nuclear Threat Initiative. (2022, May 7).
Retrieved February 18, 2023, from
https://www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/association-southeast-asian-nations-asea
n/

Eastvantage. (2017). 5 Advantages of ASEAN integration in the Philippines.Retrieved Feruary 18,

2023, from https://www.eastvantage.com/insights/5-advantages-asean-integration-philippines

First Academy. (2014, June 17). What is the ASEAN Integration?. Retrieved Feruary 18, 2023,
from http://firstacademy.net/asean-integration/#.XWPqGugzbIV

Gutierrez, N. (2017, April 26). Why you should care about ASEAN integration. Retrieved Feruary
18, 2023, from
https://www.rappler.com/world/regions/asia-pacific/167942-why-care-asean-relevance-ci tizens
Ramirez, B., & Poolttlwong, A. (2018, October 21). ASEAN economic integration:
Opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Retrieved Feruary 18, 2023, from
https://intpolicydigest.org/2016/01/06/asean-economic-integration-opportunities-and-chal
lenges-that-lie-ahead/

Business World. (2023). Ahead of integration, analysts weigh ASEAN diversity pros and cons.

Retrieved Feruary 18, 2023 from

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=ahead-of-integration-analysts-
weigh-asean-diversity-pros-and-cons&id=89925