WORLD AT WAR-WAW | ASEAN needs to unite to weather current chaotic world, expert says
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A well-known expert in Southeast Asian politics insists that ASEAN and its member states have their own “unique way” to conduct international affairs and make partnerships by focusing on their people’s interests. ASEAN states focus on win-win cooperation despite today’s world that is characterised by armed conflicts and confrontation between superpowers.
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Memento Maxima Digital MarketingPolitical Science PhD alumni from Columbia University, Dr Lam Peng Er is a Principal Research Fellow with the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore. His well-known books include Green Politics in Japan (1999), The Rise of China and India: A New Asian Drama (2009), Japan’s Peace-Building Diplomacy in Asia (2009), and Politics, Culture, and Identities in East Asia (2017).
Speaking to Khmer Times in an exclusive interview, Lam said he sees geopolitics are positioned in a heated situation. With “Russia’s ambition” in Ukraine, the armed conflict between Israel and the Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the ongoing battle for spheres of influence between the superpowers, particularly the US and China.
“What is happening is the opposite of the situation at the end of the Cold War, when there was naïve optimism for a better world with the magic of globalisation and the advancement of industry and technology,” he said.
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“Meanwhile, there has been a growing belief that countries with different regimes cannot come together.”
He says however that ASEAN has proven itself to be one of the most unique intergovernmental organisations and a regional bloc full of diversity.
“ASEAN is very unusual; its member states have different regime types,” Lam said. “We have a communist/socialist regime, a patriarchal monarchy, and even a military junta, although its membership is now in de facto suspension from ASEAN.”
He added that with such political diversity, it is more important than ever for ASEAN to uphold a unique way of addressing various international affairs, especially regarding its ties with superpowers.
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“The United States is still the greatest power in absolute terms, while the US dollar is still the de facto international currency, and it is unlikely that the US dollar will be replaced by the Euro, Yen, or Chinese Yuan,” he said.
“However, you can see intensified polarisation in American society with a strong sense of ‘America First’. So that’s a limit on American influence.”
Lam added that, amid the rise of China in the last decade, there is also a limit to what China can and cannot do.
“The Americans, Australians, Indians and many other developed nations will never accept Chinese hegemony, unlike some developing countries,” he said. “All of these situations put ASEAN in an awkward position.”
According to Lam, while ASEAN has been the centre of the Indo-Pacific, rising world tensions have also placed the bloc between “the nutcrackers”. Nevertheless, the trend is by no means a transformation from US dominance to Chinese hegemony.
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“While countries such as Cambodia want to benefit from Chinese initiatives, such as the BRI, they don’t want to be sandwiched between strong parties in international relations,” he said. “In that sense, it is a key challenge for ASEAN countries, particularly Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, which are now increasingly depending on China while also wanting to gain intangible benefits from the US and the West.”
Given these challenges, Lam advised ASEAN to follow an “inclusive” policy by welcoming the small, middle and great powers as its partners. The core message of what he said could be best described as “ASEAN-centred multilateralism”.
“What we don’t want is unilateralism by any individual great power or being caught in a bipolarity,” he explained.
“ASEAN must also solidify its ties with Japan, Australia, South Korea, India, and other rising powers. There’s no alternative to that.”
“There is no dignity in poverty,” Lam said. “At the end of the day, the citizens of ASEAN need to live well. In order to be able to do this, ASEAN cannot afford to be enemies with anyone.”
“It is not a question of being pro-US or pro-China. But ASEAN leaders must think of themselves as pro-ASEAN, and think about all ASEAN citizens, and be bonded by ASEAN values. While not picking sides, ASEAN must uphold the concept of settling disputes peacefully by using international laws.”
.Taing Rinith / Khmer Times
