Pragmatism, Not Power, Keeps ASEAN Relevant

Haseeb Ahmed Khalid

In an era where relations between powerful states are often played out as a crude rivalry, Southeast Asia has developed in silence a model that is becoming more and more relevant in international relations: balance through pragmatism. Their key role in managing great-power competition has been overlooked, but given that ASEAN represents the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, it is vital to remember that these nations have become of primary concern in dealing with the development of great-power competition. The group of ten disparate states with vastly varying levels of wealth, including very poor Indonesia and high-tech Singapore, has no obvious military advantages and no major control of high-tech fields. However, through such reliance on flexibility, inclusivity, and cooperation, ASEAN has positioned itself as a stabilizing organization in the Asia-Pacific.

“The most powerful element of ASEAN is the capacity to get involved with and talk to all key powers, yet not get indebted to any of them.”

The most powerful element of ASEAN is the capacity to get involved with and talk to all key powers, yet not get indebted to any of them. Over the past few decades, ASEAN has worked to maintain the balances of both relationships with the United States to intensify security cooperation and with China to invest in the Belt and Road. Such a policy of benign openness cannot be glamorous, but it gets results. Even as conflict between Washington and Beijing escalates, trade and investment in Southeast Asia have been holding up. The 600 million people who live in the region make it too important to be neglected.

This flexibility is embedded in such terms as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the largest free trade agreement on the planet. By welcoming along board China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, RCEP ensures that ASEAN stands at the center of the economic architecture in Asia. In addition to trade liberalization, the agreement also reflects that ASEAN can dictate the rules of regional cooperation as opposed to being a recipient of externally imposed rules.

Nevertheless, such a balancing act is not a walk in the park. A re-emergence of tariffs by the United States poses a risk to ASEAN economies, whose export-oriented nature makes them vulnerable, and the slowdown in China reduces their demand. Minor ASEAN nations are especially sensitive to such shocks, owing to the fact that they are reliant on access to international markets. In the meantime, there are issues over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea that have challenged the integrity of the bloc, with some members favoring quiet diplomacy, whereas others insist on taking tougher stands against China. The decentralized voice of ASEAN may be a drawback to the independence that the organization has toiled to maintain.

The bloc is awake to these perils and has initiated adjustments. Its newly proclaimed five-year road map attaches importance to economic integration, digital connectivity, supply chain resilience, and financial cooperation. These efforts are not bureaucratic only, but are key in maintaining ASEAN’s competitiveness and united in the face of world tumult. The aspect of strengthening structures such as the ASEAN Economic Community and increasing the speed of implementation of the RCEP will enable the region to be more resistant to external pressure.

“RCEP ensures that ASEAN stands at the center of the economic architecture in Asia.”

Unity is the greatest asset in ASEAN. Devoid of it, greater powers will take advantage of differences and draw member states in conflicting directions. With it, ASEAN would be able to continue to influence rules of regional interaction, as well as, attract investment, and ensure regional peace, in one of the most important strategic regions in the world. Its peaceful, gradualist diplomatic strategy is frequently discounted, but in a world full of black and white confrontations, ASEAN has something to offer as an alternative.

Southeast Asian countries do not draw attention to the superpower scale, but the key to their power is the minimal chance of encountering sudden events. It provides an oversight that strength in the twenty-first century can no longer be described as only war power- a power of abundance or cap-power and aide, a power of endurance, a power of collaboration, the insight to not accept being coerced into making choices that undermine vital stability. To the extent that the world is seeking to find examples of a balance in an era of rivalry, it is high time that it turns its attention to ASEAN.

The author is a BS (Hons.) International Relations student at the National University of Modern Languages. He is passionate about world affairs, particularly the politics of the Indo-Pacific. His interests also include international law, journalism, and global security.