ASEAN as the ‘regional conductor’: understanding ASEAN's role in Asia-Pacific order

Abstract

ASEAN's diplomatic leadership in Southeast Asia provided a foundation for creating its 'regional conductor' role after the Cold War. ASEAN's ability to sustain its roles depends on maintaining role bargains acceptable to the great powers, an increasingly difficult task due to great power rivalry in the South China Sea.

The English School and postcolonial state agency: social roles and order management in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific

“…As part of an order arrangement, states will come to a consensus over which functions are necessary for the management of order and how responsibility for the performance of those functions will be divided between the negotiating states. Order functions can fall across three categories of security, economic and diplomatic/normative (for an expanded discussion of order functions see, Yates 2019, 22–26). The arrangement regarding the division of functions is what Yates (2017, 447–48) calls a role bargain : ‘a reciprocal arrangement whereby actors, implicitly or explicitly, agree to a division of labour with respect to the performance of order functions, which accords with their respective identities and statuses and satisfies their interests within the prevailing social and political context’.…”

“…Order functions can fall across three categories of security, economic and diplomatic/normative (for an expanded discussion of order functions see, Yates 2019, 22–26). The arrangement regarding the division of functions is what Yates (2017, 447–48) calls a role bargain : ‘a reciprocal arrangement whereby actors, implicitly or explicitly, agree to a division of labour with respect to the performance of order functions, which accords with their respective identities and statuses and satisfies their interests within the prevailing social and political context’. We can know when a role bargain has been reached when there exists agreement on: (1) a common goal for order; (2) what order functions should be performed towards achieving that goal (3) and who will perform which order functions.…”

“…We can know when a role bargain has been reached when there exists agreement on: (1) a common goal for order; (2) what order functions should be performed towards achieving that goal (3) and who will perform which order functions. This will come at the end of a process of role negotiation, which itself involves three stages: role conceptualization, role claiming and role enactment (Yates 2017). During role conceptualization an actor conceptualizes a role that they wish to perform.…”

“…The costliest will be substantive claims/endorsement which involves significant commitment in terms of material and/or political resources. In between are symbolic and performative (Yates 2019, 30–35).…”

The Dual-Track Approach of the PRC to the Resolution of Disputes in the South China Sea

“…Дипломатическое руководство АСЕАН в Юго-Восточной Азии послужило осно-вой для создания особой роли «регионального дирижера» по окончании холодной войны. Способность АСЕАН поддерживать данную роль зависит от сохранения приемлемых для великих держав торговых функций, что становится все более трудной задачей из-за соперничества стран в Южно-Китайском море [Yates 2016]. …”