Many deem the territorial dispute in the South China Sea the most
prominent issue in the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, which is
understandable because the event will be followed by the East Asian Summit,
where big powers in the Pacific, most notably China and the United States, will
take part.
While the South China Sea is
obviously “hot,” there is another important development to watch. In the
November summit, ASEAN leaders are scheduled to inaugurate the ASEAN Institute
for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR).
Proposed by Indonesia while
hosting last year's summit, the AIPR aims to contribute to research on and
policy recommendations for conflict resolution.
The institute will also enhance
existing cooperation among ASEAN think tanks and hold workshops or share
experiences in conflict resolution. The establishment of the AIPR is a clear
indication that the long-standing principle of noninterference has adapted to
the changing situation. ASEAN members now are less reluctant to talk about
conflicts, although doing so potentially creates tension and embarrassment.
Among other conflicts, intrastate
conflicts remain difficult issues to completely and comprehensively solve.
Around the world, there has been slow and steady progress in resolving
intrastate conflicts.
According to Aurel Croissant and
Christoph Trinn in their 2009 book, domestic conflicts in Asia have increased
significantly, while interstate conflicts have become less significant. In
Southeast Asia, intrastate conflicts still persist until now. According to a
report by Human Rights Watch, between 2004 and 2007 at least 2,400 people were
killed and 4,000 others injured in Southern Thailand.
Recently, conflicts in Myanmar's
Rakhine state have also claimed many lives.
Clearly, the number of causalities
provides a rationale for prioritizing efforts to searching for resolution to
intrastate conflicts.
To address intrastate conflicts,
Southeast Asian nations usually prefer to exercise domestic policies that focus
more on security. For the sake of sovereignty, integrity and national dignity,
they do not seem eager to give up on the core of their national sovereignty in
exchange for international involvement.
Intrastate conflicts are so
sensitive that countries in the region usually avoid discussing the conflicts
in any international mechanism. In this sense, the “ASEAN way,” characterized
by an attitude of noninterference in the internal affairs of one another, has
been widely criticized for prolonging intrastate tensions in Southeast Asia.
The situation has changed in
recent years, although there is still a lot of work to do. An adaptation of the
noninterference principle, especially in dealing with intrastate conflicts can
be observed from two channels: Cross-border democracy and regionalism.
Governments are now more careful in handling intrastate conflicts to avoid
criticism from the international community, the media and neighboring
countries.
This was the case when ASEAN
Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus repeatedly sent messages condemning
political repression in Myanmar.
A government cannot simply say
that intrastate insurgencies are not our business because cross-border civil
society groups are now aware and concerned about what is happening in other
countries.
At the same time, the countries
of Southeast Asia have been fostering deeper and closer levels cooperation by
working toward the creation of the ASEAN Community in 2015. That development,
to a certain degree, has transformed perceptions of Southeast Asian states
toward security norms and the political culture in the region.
The ASEAN Charter, for example,
clearly mentions that the purpose of the association is to promote democracy,
good governance, rule of law, human rights and freedom (ASEAN Charter Article
1, Paragraph 7). In that regard, intrastate conflicts may be considered a
common concern among Southeast Asian nations because unresolved conflicts can
endanger regional and global stability.
In the case of the peace process
in Aceh, for instance, military observers from ASEAN countries took part in a
cease-fire monitoring mission.
Learning from ongoing changes in
the “noninterference” principle, the AIPR has modalities and opportunities to
contribute to intrastate conflict management, although it is not exclusively
designed for intrastate conflicts. The institute should look beyond research
and advisory roles with little power to influence policies.
Instead, the AIPR should be involved
in policymaking and implementation. In this regard, nevertheless, it should not
ambitiously focus on conflict resolution, but on creating suitable conditions
for resolution.
One area that the AIPR can work
on conflict management is by promoting socioeconomic development in conflict
areas, which are mostly economically underdeveloped.
There are subregional
initiatives, such as the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle and the
Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines Economic East ASEAN Growth Area, but
their roles in improving economic conditions and contributing to peace must be
greatly advanced and focused.
The AIPR could initiate a “trust
fund” from ASEAN members and donors that would especially be used to direct
financing to infrastructure projects in regions, such as southern Thailand,
Papua, Mindanao and Kayin state. Joint investment promotion, empowerment of
small and medium enterprises, capacity building and development of centers of
excellence in those regions could also be seriously considered.
The writer is a Ph.D. scholar at
the Australian National University's Asia Pacific College of Diplomacy,
Canberra, Australia
Another potential project is to
promote more people-to-people contacts and exchanges of scholars and local NGO
leaders.
In the early stages, focusing on
those areas will help the AIPR build important credibility.
The recent signing of the initial
peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic rebel
group is a wakeup call for ASEAN leaders to revisit their approach to dealing
with intrastate conflicts. In this sense, the AIPR has a lot of opportunities
to play a role in contributing to long-lasting peace.
The role of the AIPR, however,
can only be beefed up if there is strong political will from ASEAN leaders.
ASEAN Secretary-General-designate Le Luong Minh will certainly play a pivotal
role in transforming the AIPR into a valuable vehicle for peace and
reconciliation in the region.
Awidya Santikajaya,
The Jakarta Post/Asia News
Network
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