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RegionalismintheBalance:ReflectionsonASEANatFiftyfromaLiberalPerspective
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formulahasalreadybeenappliedintheimplementationoftheAEC,wherememberstates
haveretainedcontroloverthepaceoftheirfinancialliberalisationtobetternavigate
theintegrationprojectaroundtheregion’sdevelopmentalgaps.Whilesuchflexibilityhas
invitedcriticismoffoot-draggers,ithaspermittedprogresswherethedifferingcapacities
ofstatestocomplywiththeagendaotherwisehaveimpededtheirwillingnesstocommit.
57
IfASEANwishestopreservecentrality,itcannotlimititselftobeingtheconvener
forSino-Americaninteractions,notleastbecauseWashingtonandBeijingarenolonger
willingtoengagewithSoutheastAsiathroughmultilateralismalone.IftheUnitedStates
willnotmakeitselfavailableasapartnertobalanceChina’sgrowingregionalheft,
theriskisthatChina’seconomicpowerwilltranslateintouncheckedpoliticalinfluence.
WiththeTrumpAdministration’sAsiapolicyfocusedsquarelyforthetimebeingupon
theKoreanPeninsula,apprehensionsgrowthatWashingtonwillnotevennoticeuntil
itistoolate.
TheexternalpressuresonASEANhaveinjectedabracingdoseofrealisminto
regionalisminSoutheastAsia.Theynotonlythrowintoquestiontheexternalcentrality
ofASEANinregionalaffairs,butalsoposeapotentiallyexistentialcrisisforASEAN
internalunity.Ifunchecked,theycouldspelltheendofASEANasameaningfulorganisa-
tioninpoliticalandsecurityterms.Yettheyalsounderlinethecriticalimportance
ofaffirmingliberalprinciples,boththoughcohesionandcooperationamongitsmembersto
drivestrongerinstitution-buildingwithinASEANandthroughsupportingthedevelopment
ofwiderregionalarchitecturebasedoncollectiverules-basedapproaches.Onlyby
activelydefendingitscentralitywithinarules-basedordercanASEANhopetowithstand
thecompetingexternalpressuresitfaces,letaloneshapearegionalorderthatisnotprey
totheuncheckedrealistapplicationofrawpower.
TheASEANEconomicCommunity
ToaddtoASEAN’schallenges,theprojectthatshouldbethedrivingforcefor
deeperintegration,theAEC,hassofarhadlittletoshowfortherhetoricthatprefigured
itsadventinlate2015.Todate,itssignificancehasbeenlargelysymbolic,inasmuchas
ASEANhaslongsoughttopursuesuccessthrougheconomicintegration,andtheAEC
simplymarksthefartheststepthememberstateshaveyetendorsedtointegratetheir
economies.58WithinASEAN,theAECrepresentsoneofthethreepillarsoftheplanned
ASEANCommunity,andthusunderpinsASEAN’shopestosecureitspositionat
thecentreofSoutheastAsiaandasthehuboftheAsia-Pacific.
59
Moreover,withAmerican
57
J.Menon,A.C.Melendez,4RealizinganASEANEconomicCommunity:ProgressandRemaining
Challenge’,TheSingaporeEconomicReview,June2017,Vol.62,No.3,p.689.
58
J.Pang,4ASEANandGlobalChange’,RSISCommentary,No.253,20November2015,https://www.
rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/cms/co15253-asean-and-global-change/#.WdbfBGiCySQ(accessedon25May
2017).
59
Ibidem,p.2;M.Caballero-Anthony,op.cit.,pp.563-564.
