Southeast Asian Regionalism-ASEAN

Brian Rizky Bimantara I92214016
Regionalisme (Studi Kawasan) CI213042

Rizki Rahmadini Nurika, S.Hub.Int, M.A.

09 November 2015

ASEAN is widely recognized in the international community as an exemplar of enlightened and successful regionalism.  In order to have a good understanding about Southeast Asian Regionalism especially ASEAN, the writer try to explain it with following order, the first is formation of ASEAN, the second is Building ASEAN identity, and the last is Towards ASEAN Economic Community.

At first, before ASEAN, actually some of the country in Southeast Asia have already made an organization. In 1959, there was an establishment of SEAFET (Southeast Asia Friendship and Economic Treaty). This is kind of narrow organization because of its limitation to the economy, trade, and education. In 1961, there was an establishment of ASA (Association for Southeast Asia), this association consisted of Malaysia, Philipines, and Thailand. The background of the establishment this association is the need of Southeast Asia states to seek strength in numbers or through alliances with more powerful actors. Because of those backdrop external pressure and internal tension provided booster for regional cooperation such as ASA.  So, the purpose of ASA itself is to establish regional and peace stability, but on its journey there was a conflict between Malaysia and Philipines which is the end of cooperation of ASA. Not only in ASA, in 1963 there was an establishment of MAPHILINDO (Malaysia, Philipines, Indonesia), the cooperation within MAPHILINDO are such as economy, culture, and social science, but again because there was a conflict moreover confrontation with the use of force between Malaysia and Indonesia which means the end of MAPHILINDO cooperation.

To end the tension between Malaysia and Indonesia, in 1967  ASEAN was established which consisted of five countries. There are Indonesia, Malaysia, Philipines, Singapore, and the Thailand.  Beside trying to end the tension between Malaysia and Indonesia, ASEAN also reduced regional military influence of external actors and prevent communist insurgencies by promoting domestic socio-economic development. There were also pull factors of ASEAN. The first one is War and Threat of War, as the writer stated above, the factor of the establishment of ASEAN was trying to eradicate and prevent war in the other word is make peace stability. Because as we know ASEAN has role of enhancing cooperation in broader aspects, there are security, economic, social, and culture. The second is try to balancing ASEAN member in facing influence of China because of its hegemonic ambition as a bigger country at that time than country in Southeast Asia. Third is one of the ways to reduce the tension between Malaysia and Indonesia, because based on Liberalism theory, International Institution could prevent war within the country of the institution, not only for Indonesia and Malaysia, this factor is also applicable for all members within ASEAN. The last because of the urge to eradicate Inter-State rivalries based on territorial which made unproductive things.

ASEAN is also useful in order to keep countries within ASEAN still trust to each other so the government could focus on attention and resources to domestic without worrying threat from the neighbors because of the aggreement that they have already made. ASEAN also become place for its member to have some either dialogue or consultation.

For next, if we talked about building identity in ASEAN actually is still not clear commonly. Because actually there were some perspectives in building identity of ASEAN. First, based on the bequest of Colonialism (all ASEAN members is ex-collonialism country) the border of national with no cinsideration of cultural division. Second, there was a legacy of cold war which make the foreign policy is based on realist motivations and also ASEAN members perceive another as the pattern of interaction or international relations, and the third is Role of China. As we know in that time China was become communist threat and ethnic conflict as justifications for authoritarianism. The other challange is other member perceived as a threat to national identity, border disputes for instance. Beside that states member also consider balance of power and fear of hegemonic ambitions within ASEAN. The member states the other member will become a boomerang for them because of the increasing of unpredictable situation between ASEAN members state. Especially there is contradiction between integration itself and non interference principle that ASEAN has. The integration through ASEAN also challenges the non interrference principle itself. A belief which said that strong region based on strong states, not strong region also has an influence to the challenges of regional identity. It makes the members state harder for positioning themselves which increases unbelieve sense among them and make them still more concentarte on their own state than region because of that idea. It makes the does not have ambition to become like EU and make ASEAN only a diplomatic community. The members state also still uphold sovereignty and made it as a matter. Domestic stability also become a main focus.

The last, the writer will also try to explain the economic development within economic integration in this region. Based on Balassa, ASEAN applied the first step in order to integrated economically by establishing Free Trade Area in 1992 with its enforcement since 1993 until 2002. Its appearing happened because of the changing of international patterns of investment flows also the purpose of it is declining foreign investor interest ASEAN economies. AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area) also retains and attracts FDI, and FDI enhances economic growth which make the member states of ASEAN in better positioin in global economic competition.

After completing AFTA, ASEAN initiated the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) project in 2003 with the enforcement since 2015 until 2020. Based on Balassa AEC is the instance of common market which means that ASEAN did not comply to the step that Balassa stated. ASEAN did not apply the custom union as the second step toward integration economically. The writer also agree with the scholars assumption that this kind of situation may become a problem for ASEAN further.

The writer concludes that ASEAN is a tool for states within Southeast ASEAN to survive in globalization area and also as a response to the global economic development by establishing AEC. But the writer sees that ASEAN is in rush to respond it as there was no custom union within ASEAN.

REFERENCES

Amitav Acharya and Alastair Johnson. 2007. Crafting Cooperation. New York: Cambridge Express.
Kristina Jonsson. 2010. Unity-in-Diversity? Regional Identity-building in Southeast Asia, in:
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affair.German: GIGA
Mark Beeson. 2009. Institution of the Asia Pacific. Routledge: New York.
http://www.asean.org/asean/about-asean/history/item/the-future-of-asean , accesed on Oct 25th 2015

European Regionalism

Brian Rizky Bimantara (I92214016)–International Relations Departement

Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya

Europe is a continent that comprises the western most part of Eurasia. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south.[1] In its historical background the European continent was the theatre of conflicts, which brought millions of dead humans and lots of destruction. For all of the centuries, Europe had a lot of bloody wars, only France and Germany for the period 1870 to 1945 fought three times.[2] 

Beside World War I and World War II, actually Europe has its own conflicts among countries in Europe continents such as France and Germany. Because of those adverse war, in 1950 the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed integrating the coal and steel industries of Western Europe, which led to the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 – the predecessor of today’s European Union. But if traced back to the past, actually the idea to unite European politically originated in 17^th century. But all of those are failed which means it didn’t give a big effect. So we may say that actually after the world war I, all the proposal or organization had no effect in order to unite or integrate state within Europe area. But some of the integrations after World War II could run well in order to developed the integration until European Union.  These kind of integration could be happened because European leaders came to the conclusion that only economic and political integration can secure the peace between their countries. The vision of a new Europe, which would overcome antagonistic nationalism, finally emerged from the resistance movements, which had resisted totalitarianism during the Second World War.[3] 

Obama untuk Amerika: “Steel” against Romney

Brian Rizky Bimantara I92214016
Komunikasi Politik CI113035
Dias Pabyantara Swandita Mahayasa, M.Hub.Int.
27 Oktober 2015

Sebagaimana kita tahu, bahwa media massa memiliki peranan penting dalam kehidupan manusia sehari-hari, hal ini berkaitan dengan digunakannya media massa dalam kehidupan manusia, bidang politik sebagai contohnya. Pada tahun 2012 telah diadakan pemilu presiden Amerika Serikat untuk menentukan presiden ke-45. Peranan media masa memiliki andil yang cukup besar terhadap terpilihnya Barrack Husain Obama sebagai pemenang yang menjadikannya presiden ke-45, mengalahkan saingan terberatnya dari Partai Republik yaitu Mitt Romney, terkait dengan adanya penggunaan media masa sebagai alat kampanye Obama dalam meraih dukungan suara terbesar sehingga ia bisa terpilih menjadi presiden. Bagi penulis, salah satu contoh iklan kampanye yang perlu di analisis ialah iklan kampanye Obama yang berjudul “Steel”.[1] Sebagaimana kita tahu bahwa media dapat menjadi sebuah kekuatan tersendiri bagi kepentingan seorang individu maupun kelompok.[2] Oleh sebab itu disini penulis merasa perlunya memahami lebih dalam mengenai maksud dan latar belakang adanya iklan kampanye bertajuk video yang berjudul Steel.
 

Steel merupakan sebuah video kampanye yang diterbitkan oleh Obama for America (OFA) sebagai bentuk kampanye atas pemilihan umum amerika pada tahun 2008. Pada dasarnya Steel dibuat untuk menyerang kandidat lawan dari Partai Republik yakni Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney merupakan pendiri perusahan investasi Bain Capital  pada tahun 1984, dan pada sepuluh tahun kemudian, di tahun 1994 ia mencoba meraih menempati kursi senat Amerika di Massachusetts tetapi gagal, hingga pada akhirnya pada pemilu presiden pada tahun 2012 mencoba ulang peruntungannya dengan menjadi salah satu kandidat calon presiden amerika serikat.[3]