ASEAN round-up

• Fuadi Pitsuwan wonders: “Does the ‘Asian Century’ include small and middle income countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations?" Surely yes, although it doesn't always appear that way in the Northeast Asia-obsessed commentary. But then the next question is: “What does ASEAN have to do to keep riding with the rising tigers of Asia?” It’s appropriate to ask, and two of the article’s recommendations seem very sound: form a single market, and create an ASEAN identity. They are already things ASEAN is committed to doing. But establish an ASEAN Defence Force? With a “NATO-style collective force that is robust in capabilities and sufficiently large for self-protection and deterrence”? I’m far from sure this would be a useful step in the current climate.
• Global economic turmoil could be a powerful attention-focuser for the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community’s goals. But as Fuadi (above) warns, “The unwillingness of the bureaucratic system to follow the regional vision for fear of change has led to the slow implementation of AEC-oriented policies.” It is not only the bureaucrats who resist change. There is also, as the Malaysian trade minister discreetly puts it, “pressure from stakeholders towards adopting policies which may be deemed protectionist in nature”. Bureaucrats and powerful domestic lobbies -- a hard duo to face down.