Toward a Security Community in Asia? The Limits of Constructivism, Developmental Statism, Liberalism, and Realism

This article asks whether a regional security community has emerged in Asia with the potential to grow mature and seeks to make a contribution to the ongoing debate on this controversial topic.It advances the argument that states in this broad region are far from being able to develop a security community for reasons different from those provided by political realists,developmental statists,liberals,and constructivists(social,discursive,and emancipationist).The role of Association of Southeast Asia(ASEAN)and that of China provide excellent test cases for the theoretical proposition that the building of a successful regional security community requires at least two necessary conditions:liberal democracy and regional democratic leadership,which remain absent in Asia.

Security Governance and ASEAN's Political Security Community:Fragmented but Inclusive Security Communities?

The establishment of the ASEAN Political and Security(APSC)in 2015 mimics the notion of a security community where member states are imbued with deep habits of cooperation,mutual trust,a sense of'we-feeling'and the ability to manage security problems together with no prospects of any member going to war with another.But does a security community provide sufficient foundation for security governance in Southeast Asia?The idea of security governance,defined as a set of processes and arrangements carried out by a range of state and non-state actors across multiple levels from the local to the international that are aimed at defining and managing security challenges,requires a movement beyond state-centric approaches to one that is more participatory and inclusive.Despite the APSC's people-centred rhetoric,there are inherent tensions in security practices in ASEAN as states hold on to the principles of non-interference and state sovereignty,while having to respond effectively to address a host of non-traditional threats.These tensions have led to the emergence of multiple sites of governance that are changing the nature of security governance in the region.In analysing the cases of civilian protection in times of humanitarian crises and forced migration,the paper argues that multiple sites of governance point to the need to reassess the APSC as a mechanism for security governance and explore the idea of having fragmented but more inclusive and participatory security communities that work together towards the shared goal of more secure region.

ADVANCING REGIONAL COOPERATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Recently,ASEAN launched the ASEAN Green Initiative or AGI as a demonstration of the region’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration.This initiative was designed to achieve the region’s 10-10-10 goal or the planting of 10 million native trees in 10 ASEAN countries over the next 10 years.This involves mobilizing government agencies,communities,businesses,and even individuals to initiate tree planting and reforestation activities.Local efforts will be recognized under this program,especially those that contribute to enhancing peoples’well-being,improving livelihoods,and promoting community resilience.

Creating Strategic Opportunities:The Concept and Practice of China-ASEAN Security Cooperation

The cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN)began with the establishment of dialogue relations between the two sides after the ending of the Cold War.In 1994,when the ASEAN Regional Forum was established,China was one of the founding members,marking the beginning of formal security cooperation between China and ASEAN.The decision to shift to cooperation/enhance willingness to cooperate was made by the two parties after taking stock of the international and regional situation and their respective interests in the wake of the collapse of the bipolar system.Security cooperation was driven by a consensus on seizing,creating and maintaining strategic opportunities;or more specifically,by taking advantage of development opportunities and striving to maintain regional stability in difficult situations,thus creating a peaceful and amicable strategic regional context for sustainable development.The core concept of China-ASEAN security cooperation is developmental peace,with the norms of cooperation being the ASEAN way,cooperative security,the new security concept and the Asian security concept.In practice,China-ASEAN security cooperation covers three dimensions-strategic stability,management and control of high tension issues,and practical cooperation.New opportunities and challenges are emerging in the new era for China-ASEAN security cooperation.Fundamentally speaking,the two sides need to strive for the goal of building an ASEAN community and a China-ASEAN community with a shared future and to properly coordinate the strategic positioning of the long-term core interests of both parties.