ASEAN’s Lessons for Northeast Asia's Regional Cooperation

Abstract

Since its inception 50 years ago, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has made considerable progress and many of its projects have been overall successful. Nonetheless, its greatest achievement may be that it shaped and helped spread a unique political culture and a new set of norms for macroregional international interaction. ASEAN taught its region the value of dialogue and to maintain contact despite existing differences. This qualitative change is especially evident in contrast to Northeast Asia, otherwise very similar to its southeast neighbors in political composition and history. Not only does Northeast Asia shy away from deep intraregional cooperation, but it also treats confrontation as the main mode of interaction and employs conflict rather than dialogue as its preferred means of exchanging political signals. At first glance, this situation can be explained away with the region’s unique history and background. However, Southeast Asia experienced very similar centrifugal and polarizing influences on the eve of ASEAN’s creation and throughout its life (these include existential legitimacy conflicts, old and new historical issues, territorial disputes, divergent political interests and orientations). Nonetheless, the rise of this organization changed regional political discourse and consequently mitigated these factors, encouraging states to engage in dialogue regardless of differences. History knows of cases when ASEAN norms and practices spilled over to Northeast Asia: such are trilateral meetings between Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, or Northeast Asia’s integration into the ASEAN Regional Forum. However, it would be naively absurd to expect ASEAN to resolve all of its neighbors’ problems. Rather, its principles and spirit may become a great example for structures that may emerge in Northeast Asia. This path would require revitalizing and carefully reforming of the institutions already in place out there, such as the Six-Party Talks on the Korean nuclear problem. Real dialogue would provide all parties with new leverage to control the international situation. While it may be insufficient to eliminate the region’s security dilemmas, its launch would avert the worst and set the stage for long-term resolution of Northeast Asia’s long-suffered conflicts.