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New Straits Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
From Jungle Diplomacy to Geopolitical Jazz: Why Asean and the EU Are the twin anchors of a fragmenting world
Regionalism: The New Operating System of Global Stability If you really want to understand where the 21st century is heading, don't just look at Washington, Beijing, or Moscow. Look at the regions. Because in a world that's becoming more fragmented, more contested, and frankly more chaotic, regionalism - that is, countries choosing to work together, not out of ideology or conquest, but out of sheer necessity - is emerging as the new operating system of global stability. And if you're looking for the two most successful examples of this system in action, look no further than the European Union (EU) and Asean, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. They're both regional blocs. They both arose from turbulent pasts. But they couldn't be more different in how they were built, how they function, and how they endure. Europe's Supranational Cathedral The EU was built out of the ashes of two world wars. Europe's leaders, exhausted from centuries of bloodshed, finally asked: What if we tied our economies so tightly together that war would become unthinkable? So they did just that. They started with coal and steel. Then came customs unions, a single market, the euro, and even a European Parliament. Brussels today is more than a capital - it's a nerve centre of supranational power. The European Court of Justice can overrule national judges. The European Commission can slap billion-dollar fines on tech giants. This is regionalism with an operating manual - rules, laws, institutions, and yes, bureaucracy. It's deliberate. It's rules-based. It's integration with teeth. Asean From Jungle Diplomacy to the Asean Way Now, hop on a plane to Jakarta, and it's a different world entirely. ASEAN didn't come out of boardrooms and treaties. It came out of the jungle - literally. It was born in 1967 by five countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore - all of them struggling with post-colonial nation-building, Cold War geopolitics and domestic insurgencies. The goal wasn't unity. It was survival. From that rough start, Asean stitched together a quiet but remarkably durable diplomatic fabric. Where the EU trades sovereignty for strength, Asean clings to sovereignty like a lifeline. There's no Asean Parliament. No regional court telling leaders what to do. Instead, you get what's known as "the Asean Way" - consensus over confrontation, non-interference over integration, diplomacy over directives. It's slow, sometimes maddeningly so, but it has its own rhythm. If the EU is a cathedral, Asean is a village marketplace - chaotic, diverse, but very much alive. Economic Milestones: From AFTA to AEC And yet, Asean has made real progress - particularly in economic cooperation. It started with the Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1992, which reduced tariffs and encouraged intra-Asean trade. That matured into the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) in 2009, introducing more standardised trade rules and customs procedures. Parallel to that came the Asean Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) in 1995, which chipped away at barriers in sectors like banking, education, and transport. The crown jewel, for now, is the Asean Economic Community (AEC), launched in 2015 - an ambitious blueprint to turn Southeast Asia into a single market and production base. It's not perfect. Enforcement is uneven, and gaps remain in the movement of skilled labor and investment rules. But it's more than symbolic - it's structure, it's ambition, and it signals forward momentum. Internal Cracks and Public Perception While both blocs show resilience, they also face internal fissures. In the EU, Brexit served as a sobering reminder that integration can be reversed. Populist movements across Europe, whether in Italy, France, or Hungary, are questioning the very legitimacy of Brussels. Meanwhile, calls for "strategic autonomy" are growing louder, as Europe debates whether it can continue relying on NATO and US protection. Asean's own cohesion is tested by internal disparities - from the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar to ongoing questions about Timor-Leste's accession. Citizens across the region often perceive Asean as distant, elitist and technocratic. Public awareness of Asean remains low, despite the lofty economic and diplomatic goals. The Great Power Squeeze: China, Russia, and U.S. Retrenchment The post-Cold War honeymoon is over. The world is entering what some call a new Cold Peace - a turbulent, multipolar age where American isolationism, China's gravitational pull in Asia, and Russia's strategic assertiveness in Europe's backyard are reshaping the global order. In Europe, the Ukraine war has jolted the EU into a more geopolitical stance. It's spending more on defense, talking about strategic autonomy, and confronting the uncomfortable truth that NATO alone might not be enough. But cracks are showing - Hungary vetoes aid packages to Kyiv, Germany hesitates on military commitments, and populist parties continue to gain traction. In Southeast Asia, the challenge is subtler but just as existential. China isn't invading - it's enveloping. Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), trade dominance, and maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea, Beijing tests Asean's unity on a neardaily basis. Some members lean toward China. Others hedge with the US, Japan, or India. But without a coherent front, Asean risks becoming a bystander in its own backyard. Then there's America - the former guarantor of global order. Whether it's Trumpian nationalism or progressive disengagement, US foreign policy increasingly signals retrenchment. Both Asean and the EU now quietly ask: Who do we turn to when Washington turns away? Conclusion: Can the Cathedral and the Marketplace Survive the Storm? This is the real stress test of regionalism in the 21st century. Can Asean and the EU hold their ground in an age of great power rivalry? Can they evolve from mere talking shops or trade blocs into serious geopolitical actors? Or will they buckle under pressure - fragmenting into narrow nationalisms, caving to internal divisions, or simply becoming irrelevant as the world hardens into spheres of influence? The answer isn't written yet. But here's what we do know: both blocs were built in times of uncertainty. The EU turned war zones into wine routes. Asean turned jungle firefights into trade forums. Their success wasn't inevitable - it was earned. And if they can keep adapting, keep trusting the process, and most of all, keep talking to each other instead of yelling at each other, they just might emerge from this messy multipolar moment stronger, not weaker. Because in a world of weaponized trade, information warfare, and geopolitical poker, regions that can cooperate - however loosely - still offer the best hope for peace, prosperity, and yes, a little sanity. * The writer is an adjunct lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, international relations analyst and a senior consultant with Global Asia Consulting. The views in this OpEd piece are entirely his own.
The Star
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Malaysia leads AICHR in shaping future human rights plan
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) is in the final stages of drafting its Five-Year Work Plan (2026-2030), aimed at strengthening the protection and promotion of human rights across Southeast Asia amid evolving regional and global challenges. Chair of AICHR and Malaysia's Representative to AICHR, Edmund Bon Tai Soon ( pic ), said the new work plan, once finalised, would serve as a strategic framework guiding AICHR's activities over the next five years, in line with the Asean Community Vision 2045 and various strategic plans of action under the Asean framework. He said that the rapidly changing global landscape has made it imperative for the new work plan to address emerging non-traditional security threats such as artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, forced migration, statelessness, and refugee crises, all of which have significant human rights implications. "This work plan is very important because it will shape the direction and future of human rights in the region. "It forms part of the Asean architecture, and once adopted, it will be submitted to the Asean foreign ministers at the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) this July in Kuala Lumpur," he told reporters here on Tuesday (April 29). Bon said the new plan would also focus on strengthening AICHR's institutional capacity and governance, enhancing cooperation with national bodies, and ensuring better policy implementation and monitoring, while respecting the 'Asean Way' of consensus and non-interference. He also stressed the importance of securing political will across Asean member states as well as mainstreaming human rights into Asean sectoral bodies to ensure the success and continuity of human rights initiatives beyond Malaysia's chairmanship. Meanwhile, the programme director for the Secretariat for the Working Group for an Asean Human Rights Mechanism, Maria Paula Villarin, in welcoming Malaysia's leadership, expressed optimism that the new work plan would include stronger measures for transparency, civil society engagement, and structured communication mechanisms. She highlighted that despite operating informally, the Working Group has been advocating for a credible human rights mechanism in Asean since 1996, working closely with various Asean bodies, including AICHR, the Asean Senior Officials' Meeting, and the Asean Ministerial Meeting. Villarin noted that one area that needed urgent improvement was the transparency of AICHR's proceedings, including making its reports public. She also called for the strengthening of AICHR's "communications mechanism", a process that enables individuals, groups, or organisations to submit reports on human rights violations for AICHR's consideration, which is an initiative that is still in discussion. Villarin said civil society organisations (CSOs), especially those without consultative status, must be included in regional dialogues to ensure that policies reflect ground realities. "AICHR can play a vital role as a bridge between grassroots CSOs and Asean policymakers. We acknowledge that decision-making at AICHR requires consensus, but creating more spaces for dialogue would strengthen the legitimacy of Asean's human rights initiatives,' she told Bernama. She expressed hope that Malaysia's proactive leadership would set a strong precedent for future AICHR chairs to continue building more open and inclusive mechanisms. "Malaysia's leadership is a good start. But the real test is whether future representatives will continue to push for greater participation, transparency, and protection of human rights. That is the hope embedded in this work plan,' she added. The final draft of the AICHR Five-Year Work Plan (2026-2030) is expected to be completed by May or June before being presented to Asean foreign ministers at the upcoming AMM in July. – Bernama
Borneo Post
24-04-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Sarawak to export more power to Kalimantan Barat under Asean Power Grid initiative, says Premier
Abang Johari (centre) and Tiong on his left join delegates in posing with the signature 'Asean Way' handshake during the opening ceremony. – Photo by Mohd Faisal Ahmad KUCHING (April 24): Sarawak is preparing a new plan to increase electricity exports to Kalimantan Barat as part of the broader Asean Power Grid initiative, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. He said Sarawak has been supplying electricity to Kalimantan Barat since 2016 and is now negotiating higher transmission volumes. 'In terms of renewable energy, we (Sarawak) have been identified by our Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) that we contribute to the Asean Power Grid. At the moment, we are supplying power to our neighbour Indonesia and sister state Sabah. 'Now, we are working together with the governments of Brunei and Singapore where we will supply our energy to our neighbours in Singapore and, of course, Peninsular Malaysia. 'In other words, this is part of the Asean grid and we have been supplying our power to Kalimantan Barat since 2016 and there is a proposal to increase the power generation,' he said when officiating at the 33rd Asean Socio‑Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting here today. Abang Johari emphasised Sarawak's commitment to developing sustainable energy solutions, highlighting the state's growing energy production capabilities. 'You may be asking, why can we send power to our neighbour and whether Sarawak has enough or not. Of course, we have to look after ourselves. 'At the moment we are consuming 6GW, by 2030 we are increasing to 10GW, and by 2035 we are looking into a target of 15GW, and this energy is based on hydro, solar, as well as using hydrogen. This becomes renewable energy that we share with our neighbour countries in Asean,' he said. Abang Johari also highlighted Sarawak's commitment to environmental preservation. 'Talking about the environment, it is very much closely related to us and we have to protect our environment. We have over five million hectares of permanent forests. We cannot disturb this. We want to protect and share with the world,' he said. He pointed out two sites in Sarawak – Mulu National Park and Niah National Park – have been recognised by Unesco. 'And perhaps good to mention Kuching (Sarawak Delta Geopark) has been declared a geopark, one of the geoparks in Malaysia, and we are preserving this for the future generations.' Abang Johari also invited Asean members to visit Sarawak's museums, which have incorporated digital innovations to enhance the experience and understanding of the state's diverse culture and history. 'We hope this will allow people to understand the rich culture in Sarawak. 'Thank you for choosing Kuching as your venue; integrating our culture and economic bond between member countries of Asean,' he added. The Asean Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting is a scheduled ministerial-level meeting organised twice a year to discuss key socio-cultural issues in the Asean region. Supported by the Senior Officials Committee for the ASCC (Soca) meetings, ASCC advances Asean's socio-cultural agenda through regional projects, cultural exchange, and partnerships with international organisations. The 38th Soca Meeting and 33rd ASCC Council Meeting, which run from April 22-26 here, are hosted by the federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Among those present were Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing and Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn.
