EU and ASEAN: Issues of regional security

Abstract

The article critically explores how, and in what ways, the EU and ASEAN have addressed contemporary security issues, including non-traditional security threats. The comparison of the EU and ASEAN responses to these threats highlights the different forms and functions that regional integration has taken in Europe and Southeast Asia, and the implications of these differences for intra- and extra-regional security cooperation. The article considers how the EU and ASEAN might work more cooperatively together, noting some existing examples in which experiences and good practice are already shared, as well as other areas in which cooperation might be possible. The article concludes that while security cooperation in the EU and ASEAN, as well as between the two regional entities, is problematic, reflecting differing regional and national interests and organisational capabilities, there are concrete areas in which cooperation is possible

Are non-traditional security challenges leading regional organizations towards greater convergence?

“…In particular, it intends to empirically examine how threats posed by NTS are compelling two different regional institutions to rethink their security approaches and to find new innovative ways of cooperation. In so doing, unlike in other studies (Rees 2010), we argue that the assertion that the EU and ASEAN approach to security continues to reflect unique forms, underpinned by the regional context should be relaxed. It is indeed true that ASEAN and the EU betray different security conceptions and forms of cooperation.…”

“…With few exceptions, however, only limited effort has been made to shed light on the effects of the systemic context on the agendas of distinct regional institutions. On the contrary, given the idea that it was unlikely there was "anything comparable to the EU in the Asia Pacific" (Jetschke and Murray 2011, p. 175), existent contributions have so far preferred to focus on interregional dynamics (Rees 2010;Murray and Rees 2010).…”

High expectations. Interregional agendas on global security challenges: East Asia, Europe and Latin America

“…The ASEAN-EU relationship has been the object of numerous works in the last four decades. In fact, it has been at the center of the study of interregionalism (Hänggi 2006;Reiterer 2006;Storz and Rüland 2008;Rees 2010;Baert et al 2014;Meisser 2015). Some of these analyses have highlighted how the EU has attempted to increase its presence in the world by supporting regional integration efforts in South East Asia, by increasing its political and economic relations with the region, and by trying to balance the enormous influence of the United States and China in that area of the world.…”

What (If Anything) Does East Asia Tell Us About International Relations Theory?

“…There has been a fairly strong claim in the East Asia IR literature that East Asian institutions are "underinstitutionalized" or less legalized than those in Europe (Kahler 2000, Katzenstein 2005, Khong & Nesadurai 2007, Rees 2010. That is, regional institutions are "thinner," have smaller bureaucracies, require less change in the behavior of members, and have fewer binding requirements.…”