Towards ASEAN Community: One Vision, One Identity, One Community

Oleh :Adi Satyadi Nagara

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967, base to Bangkok Declaration. Historically, before the era of strengthening cooperation between south-east Asian countries, relation in this region was not as good as what we gain nowadays. There are many conflict of interest exist between states in south-east Asia. For instances, conflicts of state border (Indonesia-Malaysia, Philippines-Malaysia, Malaysia-Thailand), humanitarian conflicts (Vietnam and Myanmar), and also security crisis, fulfilling day-to-day political relation. For that reason, the five states (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) initiated to shape the concept of cooperation that make inter-state relation in region going well and high-trusted. Through many mechanism and negotiation in Bangkok (August 1967), the five states finally make a deal with the framework of cooperation by declaring legal framework named as Bangkok Declaration. This is the milestone for south-east Asian countries to reach closer relation. After declared Bangkok Declaration, the five states becoming the first original members of ASEAN. In early years, they tried to make inter-state ties by confidence and trust building between members in the context of strong regional cooperation. ASEAN helped the member states to increase economic growth, maintaining social and cultural development, and also stabilize regional peace and freedom. The core principles of these relations are equality, sovereignty, consensus and consultation, common interest, and solidarity. All members should define these principles came into force in its domestic and regional ties policies.

Nowadays, ASEAN members consist of ten countries by five additional states joining this organization in the next decades of relation (Brunei Darussalam, Viet Nam, Lao, Myanmar, and Cambodia). At this time, the issues of cooperation developed not only in economic and social context, but also security and political issues, environmental issues, and inter-regional issues.[1] The scope of ASEAN relation came into growth day by day. The rising of awareness to make closer and global scope regional ties, opening the paradigm of all government to build the stronger framework of ASEAN by initiating constitutional legal base of cooperation. The 13^th ASEAN Summit in Singapore (November 2007) was success to form a common legal framework by defining of ASEAN Charter. This Charter aimed to develop and grow all parts of south-east Asian countries in closer relation, not only in the context of G-to-G, but also make an ASEAN identity by awareness of one community in their society.

ASEAN Community and The ASEAN Charter

The ASEAN new phase of cooperation view as a result of external and internal influences rising in the circumstance of regional scope such as international terrorism, environmental issue, peace and freedom, disarmament and nuclear weapon presence. All ASEAN members aware, that they obligate to ensure the region from distrust and disintegration. Existential problem in region both from internal and external influences need to be solved by common understanding and solidarity. Growing ASEAN commitment to strengthen the region adopted by ASEAN Vision 2020. The creation of ASEAN Community was begin in The 9^th ASEAN Summit in Bali, and generate the concept of mutual respect and non-interference principle to foster strong ASEAN.[2] There are three pillars in ASEAN Community arrangement, ASEAN Security and Political Community (ASPC), ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and ASEAN Social and Cultural Community (ASCC). These three pillars describe how member states seriously think about important way to become greater regionalism and integration. The ASEAN Vision 2020 was accelerated in The 12^th ASEAN Summit in Cebu (Philippines), by “Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015”. The summit insists all member state governments to accelerate the form of ASEAN Community in 2020 by 2015. It has a greater change of optimism in ASEAN countries to build a greater binding community.

The ASEAN Charter was signed in The 13^th ASEAN Summit in Singapore on November 2007. It is the strong legal framework of ASEAN countries consist of rules, obligation, rights, dispute settlement, and institutionalize regional organization. It is aimed to transform ASEAN from only political association become international organization that has legal personality, rule-based organization, and has effectiveness and efficiency of organizational structure. The charter itself, bring a new hope of ASEAN society to view all south-east Asian countries as one community by nurturing the sense of belonging and united in diversities.

Facing the ASEAN Community

Indonesia is a biggest country in ASEAN with greater potential market, human resources, natural resources, economic calculation (by GDP), and also largest archipelago state. Therefore, we have very important role in whole process and mechanism of ASEAN policies. We have big bargaining position to become core power state and driving force to enhance ASEAN come into power. Although we aware our great potential, we have to work in a context of togetherness and solidarity, especially in solving the problem. The commitment of consensus should enforced by all member states.

Government, as a front-line to ensure this process of integration, should support all element of its own society, both to reach MDGs[3] and to prepare our society which is ready to face ASEAN commitment. In the era of ASEAN integration, there will be free movement of peoples, goods, and services. So that we have to make sure that we are compatible and competitive citizen. It need the serious action of government and all elements within this country, to build a sense of togetherness, competition and one important is the sense of nationality. The motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”, so that we should guard our cultural identity as an Indonesian peoples. In addition, Indonesia must openly aware the importance of soft power by spreading the understanding of our national and cultural heritages around the ASEAN countries. That simple, but has more and more significant to build common understanding not only in government level, but also in a whole ASEAN society.

In other word, we must behave as well as powerful state by knowing our tangible and intangible potential sources. We are one nation of Indonesia, we are the richest both cultural and natural resources country, and we are prominent and dignitary states. We must look within ourselves optimistically, not pessimistic. The era will begin soon and sooner.

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[1] Framework cooperation between all ASEAN members and China, Japan, South Korean named as ASEAN + 3.

[2] The 9^th ASEAN Summit held in Bali (Indonesia) by generating Bali Concord II as a common commitment to shape ASEAN Community.

[3] There are many points of Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), decrease poverty, affordable access of health and education, increase standard of living, social welfare, and concerning environmental development.

Neo-liberal Institutionalism

Oleh : Adi Satyadi Nagara

Kemampuan wacana HI untuk menjelaskan hubungan-hubungan di antara jenis-jenis negara yang berbeda ini diperselisihkan. Neo-liberal institutionalisme merupakan sebuah bahasan menarik bagi para ilmuwan, dimana merupakan gagasan yang menantang pandangan sebagian besar kaum realis dan neo-realis, terutama dalam hal studi tentang integrasi fungsional dan juga integrasi regional. Para kaum neoliberal institusionalisme berpendapat bahwa salah satu cara untuk mencapai perdamaian dan kesejahteraan adalah dengan memosisikan negara sebagai aktor independen, agar menciptakan sebuah komunitas yang terintegrasi sehingga dapat mendorong pertumbuhan ekonomi dan juga mampu merespon masalah-masalah regional yang timbul. Dukungan terhadap dibentuknya sebuah komunitas yang terintegrasi merupakan sesuatu yang diilhami oleh adanya kegagalan dan pengalaman dari Perang Dunia (PD I dan PD II), yang pada dasarnya merupakan antitesis dari gagasan dan pemikiran utama kaum realis.

Meningkatnya interdependensi selama Perang Dingin lewat institusi-institusi internasional berarti bahwa neo-liberalisme juga disebut institusionalisme liberal. Hal ini juga berarti bahwa pada dasarnya bangsa-bangsa bebas membuat pilihan-pilihan mereka sendiri tentang bagaimana mereka akan menerapkan kebijakan tanpa organisasi-organisasi internasional yang merintangi hak suatu bangsa atas kedaulatan. Neoliberalisme juga mengandung suatu teori ekonomi yang didasarkan pada penggunaan pasar-pasar yang terbuka dan bebas dengan hanya sedikit, jika memang ada, intervensi pemerintah untuk mencegah terbentuknya monopoli dan bentuk-bentuk konglomerasi yang lain. Keadaan saling tergantung satu sama lain yang terus meningkat selama dan sesudah Perang Dingin menyebabkan neoliberalisme didefinisikan sebagai institusionalisme, bagian baru teori ini dikemukakan oleh Robert Keohane dan juga Joseph Nye.

Perkembangan selanjutnya dari neoliberal institusionalisme pasca Perang Dunia II, adalah munculnya gagasan-gagasan dan pemikiran tentang transnasionalisme (transnationalism) dan juga ketergantungan kompleks (complex interdependence). Dalam hal ini, Keohane dan Nye berpendapat bahwa dunia akan menjadi lebih plural dikarenakn semakin banyaknya aktor-aktor yang berperan dalam arena interaksi international tidak hanya aktor negara, namun juga aktor non-negara (non-state actor). Interaksi-interaksi yang dilakukan oleh para aktor tersebut menciptakan sebuah lingkungan keterhubungan yang saling bergantung antara satu sama lain, yang dalam istilah Keohane dan Nye disebut sebagai ketergantungan kompleks. Ketergantungan kompleks lebih menjelaskan kepada sebuah hubungan yang tidak hanya berkembang antar pemerintah (governement-to-government), namun juga hubungan antara pemerintah dengan aktor non-negara, serta hubungan antar sesama aktor non-negara.

Kaum neoliberal memandang adanya sebuah institusi ditujukan sebagai mediator atau perantara untuk mencapai kerjasama antara aktor di dalam sistem internasional. Neoliberal institusionalisme memfokuskan penelitiannya terhadap isu-isu menyangkut pemerintahan dunia (global governance), serta adanya penciptaan pembentukan sebuah institusi yang dihubungakan dengan proses-proses globalisasi. Perkembangan pembahasan tentang pembentukan institusi yang dapat menjamin kerjasama, atas dasar kepentingan yang saling menguntungkan melalui perdagangan dan pembangunan (development).

Ketergantungan Kompleks (Complex Interdependence)
Sebagai sebuah perspektif analitik yang eksplisit, inderdendensi kompleks (complex interdependence) muncul pada tahun 1970-an untuk menantang asumsi-asumsi kunci kerangka teoritis saingannya, khususnya realisme klasik. Pertama, menantang asumsi yang ada bahwa negara bangsa hanya satu-satunya aktor penting dalam politik dunia. Lalu mereka memperlakukan aktor-aktor lain yang bukan negara seperti perusahaan multinasional dan bank-bank transnasional memiliki peranan penting, bukan karena hanya kegiatannya dalam mengejar kepentingan mereka, namun juga karena tindakan mereka sehingga membuat kebijakan pemerintah di sejumlah negara lebih sensitif terhadap negara lain (Keohane dan Nye, 1988). Dalam pengertian ini, interdependensi kompleks sebagai sesuatu yang bersifat holistik dan mencakup konsepsi sistem yang melukiskan politik dunia sebagai jumlah interaksi banyak bagian dalam masyarakat global (Holsti, 1988).

Kedua, intedependen kompleks mempertanyakan apakah isu keamanan nasional mendominasi agenda keputusan negara bangsa. Berdasarkan kondisi interdependensi, agenda politik luar negeri menjadi semakin luas dan beragam. Hal ini dikarenakan oleh jangkauan luas kebijakan pemerintah, meskipun sebelumnya dipandang sebagai kebijakan domestik.