Rethinking the Record of Security Community Building in ASEAN

The article discusses the structural elements of the security community concept using the example of ASEAN. The relevance of studying this phenomenon rises dramatically due to the official launch of the ASEAN Community in 2015, which consists of three key elements – the Economic Community, the Political and Security Community and the Socio-Cultural Community. The scientific novelty of the work lies, firstly, in the use of an updated approach to the analysis of this security community concept, and secondly, in rethinking the experience of ASEAN and, in particular, failures in the formation of the security community. The work argues the major variables that contribute to the initial formation of the security community are the “we-feeling” sense among the population, adherence to key norms and principles of functioning of the association, the presence of strong channels of communication between states, and the ability of states to collectively respond to internal and external challenges. It is concluded that at present, ASEAN is a nascent, pluralistic security community. However, while maintaining the existing problems identified in the study, the transition to a more mature stage is not possible. The key constraints of ASEAN include a periodic departure from the basic principles of the Association, and the failure to reach consensus on a number of sensitive issues. As concrete examples we can identify the various positions of ASEAN member states on the South China Sea issue, as well as the lack of a unified approach to the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Region”, an emerging geostrategic space.

1. Baykov A.A. (2012). Sravnitel'naja integracija. Praktika i modeli zarubezhnoj integracii v zarubezhnoj Evrope i tihookeanskoj Azii [Comparative integration. Experience and Patterns of Integration in the United Europe and Asia Pacific]. Moscow: Aspect Press, 2012. 256 p.

2. Kanaev E.A. (2011). Formirovanie Soobshhestva ASEAN: osobennosti 2011 g [ASEAN Community Formation: Features of 2011]. South East Asia: Actual problems of development. No. 17. P. 48–60.

3. Koldunova E.V. (2011). Integratsiya bez konflikta ili konflikt bez integratsii? [Integration without a conflict or a conflict without integration?]. Mezhdunarodnye protsessy. Vol. 9. No. 27. P. 105–111.

4. Lokshin G.M., Kobelev E.V., Mazyrin V.M. (2019). Soobshchestvo ASEAN v sovremennom mire [ASEAN community in the modern world]. Moscow: FORUM. 296 p.

5. Ryabov A.V. (2019). Pereformatirovanie sistemy mezhdunarodnyh otnoshenij v Tihookeanskoj Azii: vektory i dinamika izmenenij [Reformating the system of international relations in Pacific Asia: vectors and dynamics of changes]. World Economy and International Relations. Vol. 63. No. 1. P. 112–122.

6. Sevastyanov S.V. (2008). Instituty aziatsko-tihookeanskogo i Vostochno-Aziatskogo regionalizma: dinamika razvitija, problemy i interesy uchastnikov [Institutions of Asia Pacific and East Asian regionalism: development dynamics, problems and interests of participants]. Rossija i ATR. No. 3. P. 82–94.

7. Acharya A. (1991). The Association of Southeast Asian Nations: “Security Community” or “Defence Community”. Pacific Affairs. P. 159–178.

8. Acharya A. (1995). A regional security community in Southeast Asia? The Journal of Strategic Studies. Vol. 18. No. 3. P. 175–200.

9. Acharya A. (1998). Collective identity and conflict management in Southeast Asia. Cambridge Studies in International Relations. Vol. 62. No. 1. P. 198–227.

10. Acharya A., Layug A. (2012). Collective identity formation in Asian regionalism: ASEAN identity and the construction of the Asia-Pacific Regional Order. A paper presented at the World Congress of International Political Science Association (IPSA) held in Madrid, Spain. 48 p.

11. Acharya A. (2014). Constructing a security community in Southeast Asia: ASEAN and the problem of regional order. Routledge. 314 p.

12. Acharya A. (2017). The Evolution and Limitations of ASEAN Identity. Building ASEAN Community. Vol. 186. P. 25–38.

13. Adler E., Barnett M. (1998). Security Communities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 484 p.

14. Barr M.D. (2000). Lee Kuan Yew and the “Asian values” debate. Asian Studies Review. Vol. 24. No. 3. P. 309–334.

15. Beeson M. (2009). ASEAN's ways: still fit for purpose? // Cambridge Review of International Affairs. Vol. 22. No. 3. P. 333–343.

16. Borelli M. (2017). ASEAN Counter-terrorism Weaknesses. Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses. Vol. 9. No. 9. P. 14–20.

17. Caballero-Anthony M. (1998). Mechanisms of dispute settlement: the ASEAN experience. Contemporary Southeast Asia. P. 38–66.

18. Caballero-Anthony M. (2002). Partnership for Peace in Asia: ASEAN, the ARF, and the United Nations.

19. Contemporary Southeast Asia. P. 528–548.

20. Chanona A. (2003). A Comparative Perspective between the European Union and NAFTA // Jean Monnet/ Robert Schuman Paper Series. Vol. 3. No. 5. P. 1–13.

21. Clarke P. (2008). Does growing economic interdependence reduce the potential for conflict in the ChinaTaiwan-US triangle? // American Journal of Chinese Studies. Vol.15. No. 2. P. 57–68.

22. Deutsch K.W. (2015). Political Community and the North American Area. Princeton University Press. 244 p.

23. Farnham B. (2003). The theory of democratic peace and threat perception. International Studies Quarterly. Vol. 47. No. 3. P. 395–415.

24. Harper T.N. (1997). ‘Asian Values’ and Southeast Asian Histories. The Historical Journal. Vol. 40. No. 2. P. 507–517.

25. Holsti Kal J. (1978). A new international politics? Diplomacy in complex interdependence. International Organization. Vol. 32. No. 2. P. 513–530.

26. Jong K.H., Ping L. P. (2011). The changing role of dialogue in the international relations of Southeast Asia. Asian Survey. Vol. 51. No. 5. P. 953–970.

27. Keohane R. O., Nye J. S. (1977). Power and interdependence. Boston: Little Brown. 334 p.

28. Khalifah N.A. (1992). International Trade of the East Asian Economic Caucus. Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia. Vol. 25. P. 19–45.

29. Kipgen N. (2018). ASEAN and China in the South China Sea disputes // Asian Affairs. Vol. 49. No. 3. P. 433–448.

30. Lee J. (2018). Trends in Southeast Asia. The “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and Implications for ASEAN. ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute. No. 13. P. 1–34.

31. Mancheri N.A. (2015). China and its Neighbors: Trade Leverage, Interdependence and Conflict // Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies. Vol. 4. No.1. P. 75–94.

32. Martel S. (2017). From ambiguity to contestation: discourse (s) of non-traditional security in the ASEAN community // The Pacific Review. Vol. 30. No. 4. P. 549–565.

33. Owen J.M. (1994). How liberalism produces democratic peace. International security. Vol. 19. No. 2. P. 87–125.

34. Risse-Kappen T. (1995). Democratic peace–warlike democracies? A social constructivist interpretation of the liberal argument. European Journal of International Relations. Vol. 1. No. 4. P. 491–517.

35. Severino C. R. (2006). Southeast Asia in search of an ASEAN community: Insights from the former ASEAN secretary-general. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. P. 489.

36. Severino R. (2009). The ASEAN regional forum. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. P. 44.

37. Simon S.W. (1995). Realism and neoliberalism: international relations theory and Southeast Asian security. The Pacific Review. Vol. 8. No. 1. P. 5–24.

38. Tan S. S. (2017). Not Quite Beyond the ‘ASEAN Way’? Southeast Asia’s Evolution to Rules-based Management of Intra-ASEAN Differences // Building ASEAN Community. P. 67.

39. Tönnies F. (1955). Community and association. Routledge & Paul, 1955. 293 p.

40. Tusicisny A. (2007). Security communities and their values: Taking masses seriously. International Political Science Review. Vol. 28. No. 4. P. 425–449.

41. Wah C.K. (1997). ASEAN: the long road to “one Southeast Asia”. Asian Journal of Political Science. Vol. 5. No. 1. P. 1–19.

42. Young O.R. (1982). Regime dynamics: the rise and fall of international regimes. International organization. Vol. 36. No. 2. P. 277–297.

43. Yukawa T. (2018). The ASEAN Way as a symbol: an analysis of discourses on the ASEAN Norms // The Pacific Review. Vol. 31. No. 3. P. 298–314.