Asia
The people’s ‘Saarc’ (By Kuldip Nayar)
The Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit will be over by the time these lines appear in print. But we can say that it was another attempt to scale the mountain of difficulties. The 15th people’s Saarc meeting was held in Delhi recently to impress upon the participant...
‘Rivers, people and climate change in South Asia’
Statement to the plenary meetings of Assembly towards Union of South Asian Peoples held at New Delhi on 22-23 April 2010 South Asian countries share a number of rivers with each other and with other nations beyond the region. It is evident that current water technologies adopted by governments su...
SAPA: “Forging Solidarity, Building Alternatives”
4th GENERAL FORUM Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacy (SAPA) “Forging Solidarity, Building Alternatives” The Everest Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal 26 – 27 March 2010 DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT IN PDF Day 1, March 26, Public Forum The Asian Challenge: Forging Solidarity, Buil...
Videos - Perspectives on Regional Integration from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe
This series of interviews presents the perspectives of activists from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe on the issue of regional integration. All interviews were filmed by TNI at the International Conference of Governments and Social Movements - “Regional Integration: an opportunity to face ...
VIDEO: Perspectives on Regional Integration - Meena Menon
Meena Menon (Focus on the Global South, India) discusses regional integration and its suitability as an arena for advancing a new development model. Meena states that regional solutions are important as they bring the strengths of individual countries together to complement one-another. Through this...
Summary report of the World Social Forum (01/09) and ASEAN Peoples' Forum (02/09); "Global Crises-Regional Responses: the inter-linkages between climate change, trade and regional integration"
This report compiles the exchanges of analysis on the role of Europe in a globalized world over three interconnected issues: climate change, trade and regional integration held during two debates which took place in Belem during the World Social Forum (January 2009), and in Bangkok, Thailand during ...
India to play a proactive role in SAARC and SAFTA
By: ASHOK B SHARMA Posted On: 17-Nov-2009 http://www.mynews.in/News/India_to_play_a_proactive_role_in_SAARC_and_SAFTA_N30379.html New Delhi, Nov 17: Economic integration of all the eight South Asian countries posses a challenge to the political leaders of the region. Though South Asia Free...
REPORT - Plenary Discussion on ASEAN Economic Pillar
The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) vision talks about a stable, prosperous, and highly competitive region, with equitable economic development, and reduced poverty and economic disparities. Its goal is to hasten complete liberalization and opening up of the regional economy by 2015. However, this fr...
Split Between ASEAN Leaders and Civil Society Groups Widens
REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE By Kavi Chongkittavorn The Nation THAILAND'S LONG STANDING plan to institutionalise the interface between Asean leaders and representatives of the more than 70 Asean civil society organisations (CSO) are crumbling. The noble objective of establishing a people-oriente...
The Pursuit of Sustainable Development Through Regional Economic Integration: ASEAN and Its Potential as a Development-Oriented Organization.
Alexander C. Chandra “Development”—or “economic development,” more precisely—has been a core aspiration of many of the regional integration initiatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In the area of economic cooperation, for example, initiatives such as the ...
Regional Integration and Peace
Meena Menon, Focus on the Global South (Presentation at the Conference on “Regional Integration: an Opportunity Presented by the Crisis”, Asuncion, Paraguay, July 21-22, 2009.) Almost all regional formations: e.g. SAARC, ASEAN, SADC, Mercosur, have cooperation and peace as important ...
Asian Response to the Crisis: Does Regional Cooperation Offer an Opportunity?
Jenina Joy Chavez / Focus on the Global South (Presentation at the Conference on “Regional Integration: an Opportunity Presented by the Crisis”, Asuncion, Paraguay, July 21-22, 2009.) What I will tackle this evening is an updated version of the notes I used...
Civil Society in Search of an Alternative Regionalism in ASEAN
Alexander C. Chandra The so-called alternative regionalism is becoming a popular concept of late particularly given the increasing role and importance of non-governmental element, or civil society, also commonly referred to as the track-three, in the institutional development and community buildi...
Building Community The Search for Alternative Regionalism in Southeast Asia
Jenina Joy Chavez When the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed in 1967, the original members did not have an a priori vision of what they wanted the Association to be. It would take another 30 years before the vision of an ASEAN Community would emerge. ASEAN members are now pr...
SAARC: So Little Free Trade, But So What?
Benny Kuruvilla* (1), Focus on the Global South-India South Asia’s talking shop – the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – held yet another annual summit from 2 -3 August 2008, with the usual entourage of ministers, bureaucrats, media, think tanks and NGOs descending i...
Civil Society Challenging ASEAN
Jenina Joy Chavez The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is one of the most estab-lished regional groupings in the world. Turning 40 years old this year, ASEANhas been hailed for various successes, not least for its ability to avoid intra-regional conflicts despite the tenuous peace a...
New Asean charter lacks vision
Southeast Asian government leaders will sign a document this week in Singapore that fails many tests JENINA JOY CHAVEZ, Bangkok Post, When leaders of the member governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meet for their 13th summit in Singapore today, the world's attenti...
Making ASEAN relevant
Jenina Joy Chavez Over the weekend (January 13 and 14, 2007) the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held its 12th Summit in Cebu City, after a controversial postponement in December last year. The Summit produced some significant agreements. These include the Mutual Recognition Arr...
Revisiting Southeast Asian Regionalism
Focus on the Global South Dossier (December 2006) Contents Building Community: The Search for Alternative Regionalism in Southeast Asia 1 Jenina Joy Chavez Neo-liberalism and the Working People of Southeast Asia Rene Ofreneo China and Southeast Asia: Emerging Problems in an ...
Trends of Regionalism in Asia and Their Implications on China and the United States
Prof. Jiemian Yang, Vice President of Shanghai Institute for International Studies Generally speaking, regionalism plays a supplemental and positive role to the on-going globalization. Regionalism in Asia has some special features compared with other regions such as Europe, Latin America and Africa...
The Role of Non-State Actors in ASEAN
Alexander C. Chandra Since its establishment in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has shown little interest in facilitating the participation of non-state actors in its decision-making processes. ASEAN is well-known for its elitist tendencies and for how few of its po...
Driving benefit from SAFTA
Anu Mahmud The (SAFTA) South Asian Free Trade Agreement has been implemented from July 1, 2006, which is operating under the framework of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The SAARC includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Afghanista...
China and India in the Global Governance Arena
Dirk Messner and John Humphrey The debate on global governance that began at the end of the Cold War reflected the recognition that accelerating globalisation was creating cross-border and global problems that could not be solved within the ambit of nation states pursuing go-it-alone policies. Rath...
Whither Asian Regionalism
Amitav Acharya Whither Asian regionalism at a time of unipolar US dominance, bilateral trade agreements, and the emerging tripolar Asian power configuration featuring China, Japan, and India? >Download PDF
Report: International Conference on Peace and Justice in South Asia
From 24th to 26th February 2006, Mumbai hosted an ‘event’ - not of the kind for which the megapolis has come to be known in the recent years. Tucked in a corner of the northern suburb in a very modest surrounding with strong socialist roots, the location of this international event held special ...
A social charter for the ASEAN? Deepening integration by regionalizing labor solidarity and social standards
Jenina Joy Chavez, Focus on the Global South The number of migrant labor in the ASEAN, predominant in low-skilled work and many of whom are undocumented, reaches two-three million workers in the big receiving countries of Thailand and Malaysia alone. Increased FDI flows are also associated with ...
India, China, & the Politics of Regionalism
India-Defence.com Great powers, even if good neighbours, do compete. India and China are no exception. Though the two countries have crossed many bridges in building an affable relationship, the mutual competition for power and influence is interminable. This was evident in the recent East Asia S...
ASEAN EPG, civil Society and ASEAN Charter
Alexander C. Chandra The ASEAN Eminent Persons Group (EPG) has recently conducted an open consultation with members of the civil society groups throughout Southeast Asia in the process of the making of the ASEAN Charter. The process took place in Ubud, Bali, on 17 April 2006. Aside from the rep...
Renewing SAARC
"Twenty years have passed since SAARC was established, twelve Summits and any number of meetings have been held, but the concrete results achieved for the advancement and well-being of the people of the region have been rather modest. Future generations will probably find it difficult to understand ...
Emerging New East Asian Regionalism
Zhang Yunling East Asian regionalism is emerging starting with a process of “ASEAN plus three” cooperation and moving to a final East Asian Community. The foundation of East Asian regionalism lies in increasing regional common or shared interests. The significance of East Asian cooperation an...
Realism and reactive regionalism: where is east asian regionalism heading?
Yeo Lay Hwee, Singapore Institute of International Affairs Region-building is on the move in East Asia. The past decade has seen lots of initiatives and movements, especially in the economic realm. Yet, to date there is still no blueprint for East Asia to deepen cooperation and integrate into an E...
Linking Alternative Regionalisms for Equitable & Sustainable Development
Walden Bello and Dot Keet Download PDF Abstract As the crisis of globalisation deepens , there is an urgent need for the articulation of alternatives. This includes add ressing the question of developing alternatives from the perspectives of social movements in Africa, Asia and Latin-America and ...
Multi-Track Strategies of the Major Powers On, and Against, Regional Integration(s)
Dot Keet Alternative Information and Development Centre Regional Briefings 4 The externally oriented motivations for creating stronger regional economic groupings between developing countries, and seeking forms of political cooperation between their governments and between their ...
Rival regions? East Asian Regionalism and its challenge to the Asia-Pacific
David Capie This chapter addresses new patterns of multilateral cooperation in Asia, focusing on new sets of connections emerging between what have traditionally been distinct sub-regions. In particular, it addresses the burgeoning linkages between Southeast and Northeast Asia that have crystalli...
Transnational Civil Society and the National Identity Question in East Asia
Baogang He The institutions of civil society play diverse roles in developing and maintaining democracy—that is, the process of democratization—and perform different functions in relation to the national identity/boundary question. A growing literature testifies to the emerging importance of ...
The EU & South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC)
History SAARC was officially born in 1985 as an association of States whose aims were to "promote the well-being of the populations of South Asia and improve their standard of living; to speed up economic growth, social progress and cultural development; to reinforce links between the countries of...
Non-state regional governance mechanism for economic security: the case of the ASEAN Peoples' Assembly
Mely Caballero-Anthony In Asia, the evolving dynamics in the development of civil society on the one hand and the re-conceptualization of security beyond the traditional notions of state/military security on the other are not mutually exclusive. These dynamics are essentially linked by a common n...
Regional Programs in the South and New Peoples' Initiatives in the Context of Contrary Internal Governmental Trends and External Interventions
by Dot Keet, TNI Alternative Regionalisms Project It has long been recognised by many governments and civil society organisations in the countries of the South that the regrouping of their countries into larger economic units is an important basis for effective and sustainable development. This...
Multilateralism, Regionalism, Bilateral and Crossregional Free Trade Arrangements: All Paved with Good Intentions for ASEAN?
Linda Low Current initiatives in Asia and Asia Pacific regionalism are responses to regionalism happening elsewhere in the context of globalization, information communication technology and knowledge-based economy. The conclusion is that many economies are ‘having it both ways’ in multilaterali...
Attempting developmental regionalism through AFTA: the domestic sources of regional governance
Helen E. S. Nesadurai The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) has conventionally been explained as a project of open regionalism adopted by the ASEAN member governments to attract foreign direct investment to the region through the ‘carrot’ of the single regional market. Yet, when the same government...
India, China, Asean: The economic enigma — Interview with Dr Mukul Asher, Professor, National University, Singapore
J. Srinivasan The coming century is supposed to be that of Asia, with China virtually a superpower-in-waiting. Japan may be eclipsed but surely the sun has not set there. The Tigers of South-East Asia are beginning to roar. And the Indian elephant is beginning to stir. These countries are also b...
ASEAN Plus Three: Emerging East Asian Regionalism?
Over the last few years the institutionalization of the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) process has started to take shape. Government leaders, ministers, and senior officials from the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the three Northeast Asian states—China, Japan, and Sou...
The growing role of NGOs in ASEAN
Joann Fagot Aviel The role and activities of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in Southeast Asia are increasing, says JoAnn Fagot Aviel, Professor of International Relations at San Francisco State University. This growth is being encouraged both by the increasing emphasis, world-wide, on region...
Civil society and other political possibilities in Southeast Asia
Garry Rodan, Asia Research Centre on Social, Political and Economic Change, Murdoch University, >Download PDF
From ASEAN to AFTA
Ludo Cuyvers and Wisarn Pupphavesa During many years, the many initiatives of developing countries to establish regional economic integration have been examples of how this should not be done. Often, these initiatives were taken by heads of government, or stimulated by international organisations, ...
Regional military-security cooperation in the Third World: a conceptual analysis of the relevance and limitations of ASEAN
Amitav Acharya >Download PDF
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