Association of Southeast Asian Nations Key words

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Key words n n n GDP – Gross Domestic Product - Валовой внутренний продукт (ВВП) to constrain – сдерживать, ограничивать to accord Observer status – предоставить статус наблюдателя Melanesian state – меланезийское государство to flounder – барахтаться, двигаться с трудом

n n n to be revived – быть возрожденным barely – едва, лишь, только continued expansion – дальнейшее расширение to be deferred – отложить East Asia Economic Caucus (EAEC) or East Asia Economic Group (EAEG) – Восточно. Азиатский экономический форум или Восточно-Азиатская экономическая группа

n n n Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) – Азиатско-Тихоокеанское экономическое сотрудничество (АТЭС) counterbalancing – уравновешивание competitive advantage – конкурентное преимущество geared – направленный ASEAN Free Trade Area – Зона свободной торговли АСЕАН

n n East Asian Financial Crisis or Asian Financial Crisis – Азиатский финансовый кризис Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ) or the Bangkok Treaty – Договор о безъядерной зоне в Юго. Восточной Азии или Бангкокский договор to ban – запрещать to submit a letter of application – подать заявку

n n n to refrain from interference – воздерживаться от вмешательства ‘ASEAN Way’ – «Путь АСЕАН» non-interference – невмешательство Informality – неформальность minimal institutionalization – минимальная институционализация non-confrontation – отказ от конфронтации

n n n multilateralism – многосторонность Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia – Договор о дружбе и сотрудничестве в Юго-Восточной Азии subversion – подрывная деятельность coercion – принуждение renunciation of the threat or use of force – отказ от угрозы силой или ее применения

n n n n durability – прочность longevity – долговечность to engender – породить to be wary – быть осторожным, настороженным to undermine – подорвать, подрывать critical reception – критическое восприятие discreteness – дискретность, прерывность

Emblem of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Flag of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

The flag of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was adopted in July 1997, and consists of the official emblem of ASEAN on a blue background. Set upon a blue background, ten paddy or rice stalks are drawn in the middle of a red circle with white circumference.

The official symbolism of the flag is detailed in the ASEAN Charter. Blue represents peace and stability, red represents courage and dynamism, white represents purity, and yellow represents prosperity. The stalks symbolize ASEAN's ten members. The colors of the flag – blue, red, white, and yellow – represent the main colors of the national flags of all ten ASEAN member states

Motto: One Vision, One Identity, One Community Anthem: The ASEAN Way

The Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.

ASEAN covers a land area of 4. 46 million km², which is 3% of the total land area of Earth, and has a population of approximately 600 million people, which is 8. 8% of the world's population. The sea area of ASEAN is about three times larger than its land counterpart. In 2010, its combined nominal GDP had grown to US$1. 8 trillion.

If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the ninth largest economy in the world, behind the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

History ASEAN was preceded by an organization called the Association of Southeast Asia, commonly called ASA, an alliance consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand that was formed in 1961. The bloc itself, however, was established on 8 August 1967, when foreign ministers of five countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – met at the Thai Department of

Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok Declaration. The five foreign ministers – Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the Philippines, Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand – are considered the organisation's Founding Fathers.

The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members’ governing elite could concentrate on nation building, the common fear of communism, reduced faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960 s, and a desire for economic development; not to mention Indonesia’s ambition to become a regional hegemon through regional cooperation and the hope on the part of

Malaysia and Singapore to constrain Indonesia and bring it into a more cooperative framework. Papua New Guinea was accorded Observer status in 1976 and Special Observer status in 1981. Papua New Guinea is a Melanesian state. ASEAN embarked on a program of economic cooperation following the Bali Summit of 1976.

This floundered in the mid-1980 s and was only revived around 1991 due to a Thai proposal for a regional free trade area. The bloc grew when Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member on 8 January 1984, barely a week after gaining independence on 1 January.

The Secretariat of ASEAN at Jalan Sisingamangaraja No. 70 A, South Jakarta, Indonesia.

Continued expansion On 28 July 1995, Vietnam became the seventh member. Laos and Myanmar (Burma) joined two years later on 23 July 1997. Cambodia was to have joined together with Laos and Burma, but was deferred due to the country's internal political struggle. The country later joined on 30 April 1999, following the stabilization of its government.

During the 1990 s, the bloc experienced an increase in both membership and drive for further integration. In 1990, Malaysia proposed the creation of an East Asia Economic Caucus comprising then members of ASEAN as well as the People's Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea, with the intention of counterbalancing the growing influence of the United States

in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and in the Asian region as a whole. This proposal failed, however, because of heavy opposition from the United States and Japan. Despite this failure, member states continued to work for further integration and ASEAN Plus Three was created in 1997.

In 1992, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme was signed as a schedule for phasing tariffs and as a goal to increase the region’s competitive advantage as a production base geared for the world market. This law would act as the framework for the ASEAN Free Trade Area.

After the East Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, a revival of the Malaysian proposal was established in Chiang Mai, known as the Chiang Mai Initiative, which calls for better integration between the economies of ASEAN as well as the ASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan, and South Korea). Aside from improving each member state's economies, the bloc also focused on peace and stability in the region.

On 15 December 1995, the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was signed with the intention of turning Southeast Asia into a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. The treaty took effect on 28 March 1997 after all but one of the member states have ratified it. It became fully effective on 21 June 2001, after the Philippines ratified it, effectively banning all nuclear weapons in the region.

East Timor submitted a letter of application to be the eleventh member of ASEAN at the summit in Jakarta in March 2011. Indonesia has shown a warm welcome to East Timor.

The ASEAN way In the 1960 s, the push for decolonisation promoted the independence and establishment of sovereign nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Since the beginning phases of these nations, efforts were made to implement independent policies with a unifying focus of refrain from interference in regional domestic affairs.

There was a move to unify the region under what was called the ‘ASEAN Way’ based on the ideals of non-interference, informality, minimal institutionalisation, consultation and consensus, non-use of force and nonconfrontation. ASEAN members (especially Singapore) approved of the term ‘ASEAN Way’ to describe a regional method of multilateralism.

Thus the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia adopted fundamental principles: n Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations n The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion

Non-interference in internal affairs n Settlement of differences or disputes in a peaceful manner n Renunciation of the threat or use of force n Effective regional cooperation The ‘ASEAN way’ is said to contribute durability and longevity within the organization, by promoting regional identity n

and enhancing a spirit of mutual confidence and cooperation. ASEAN agreements are negotiated in a close, interpersonal process. The process of consultations and consensus is designed to engender a democratic approach to decision making. These leaders are wary of any effort to legitimize efforts to undermine their nation or contain regional cooperation.

Critical reception The ASEAN way can be seen as divergent from the contextual contemporary political reality at the formative stages of the association. A critical distinction is made by Amitav Acharya, that the ‘ASEAN Way’ indicates “a process of ‘regional interactions and cooperation based on discreteness, informality, consensus building and nonconfrontational bargaining styles’

that contrasts with ‘the adversarial posturing, majority vote and other legalistic decision-making procedures in Western multilateral organizations. However, critics argue that the ASEAN Way serves as the major stumbling-block to it becoming a true diplomacy mechanism.

Due to the consensus-based approach every member has a veto, so contentious issues must remain unresolved until agreements can be reached. Moreover, it is claimed that member nations are directly and indirectly advocating that ASEAN be more flexible and allow discourse on internal affairs of member countries.

Additionally, the preference for informal discussions to adversarial negotiations limits the leverage of diplomatic solutions within ASEAN.

The flags of 10 ASEAN members

A Billboard in Jakarta welcoming ASEAN Summit 2011 delegates

Surin Pitsuwan 12 th Secretary general of ASEAN Thailand