| Summary: | 碩士 === 國防大學 === 戰略研究所 === 96 === This thesis intends to examine the ASEAN regional cooperation mainly focused on the incorporation of the military defense from various established integration theories in the domain of the international relations in order to explore a comprehensive prediction of the ASEAN future security cooperation under the condition of existing traditional culture known as the “ASEAN Way” thus also attempt to draft some possible military cooperation that may respond to potential regional crisis.
The crux driving force for establishing the ASEAN and its subsequent further expansion is literally an aspiration to counter external threats and to pursuit prominence in the global arena. Threats from the Indo-China as well as the Chinese communist regime were the focal point of the regional security before 1967. Yet, from 1967 to 1990, until the finalization of the Cambodia instability, the main concern is the covert subversion maneuvers conducted targeted on almost every ASEAN member by exterior communist influences. Nevertheless, accompanied with the ascendancy of the mainland China and the conclusion of the Cold War, the angst in the security dimension gradually shifted toward Beijing and internal crises within its own region.
The “ASEAN Way” has already been recognized as the standard modus operandi in the region. Nonetheless, the cultural recognition might not be necessarily a permanent paradigm. Particularly, impacted by the globalization as well as the catastrophic 911 incident, the existing institutions and practices failed to cope with crises out of the region. The ASEAN therefore needs to redefine the national interests of its members and their collective regional interests through dialogue, reconciliation and society-building process to eliminate animosities and to facilitate the norms and mechanism of the regional security cooperation.
The significance of the ASEAN in the international system may well be reflected by its politico-military surroundings. Given the rich nature resources as well as its strategic geographical value, the South-east Asia is inevitably a traditional prize for the neighboring powers. Further, terrorism, piracy, separation movement and drug-trafficking within the regional also de-stabilized the ASEAN. Consequently, the ASEAN states all have enhanced their armament in a range of extend after the Cold War but never coordinated each other among member states thus subsequently either no military resource integration in the regional lever at all.
The author would like hereby to explore the military transparency of the ASEAN member states and to examine the necessity of arms control measures through a survey of their performances after armament modernization. The conclusion may potentially further facilitate the efforts of preventive diplomacy as well as confidence-building measures in the future as necessary. Based on the survey of bi-lateral and multi-lateral military cooperation among the ASEAN member states, the author will also adopt some theories regarding regional cooperation to discuss the possibility of integration under the framework of ASEAN.
Unlike the EU mode that mainly driven by the interest of collective security, the aim of the ASEAN regional military and defense integration is driven by a norm of commonly recognized identity and accepted culture. As a result, its cooperation may satisfy both individual national interest as well as regional collective interest thus eventually establishing a mutual trust among member states also the corresponding institutions. The potential regional crisis can be subsequently defused then fulfilling individual national interests for all parties involved through such persistent process of mutual recognitions and confirmations.
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