REGIONAL INTEGRATION

Regional Integration

Regional Integration

Introduction

Southeast Asia is a region rooted in cultural, ethnic, geographic and developmental diversity but generally viewed as a united bloc. Under the steady expansion of globalization and the drastic competition from neighboring regions, regionalization in Southeast Asia is confronting new challenges and entering a new era. The ASEAN Charter had to aim for deeper integration in the future. What are the differences in ASEAN's position in the international community after adopting the ASEAN Charter? This article plans to analyze ASEAN's developmental challenges and the legal contents of the ASEAN Charter, as well as to compare some of the European Union's experiences in order to assess ASEAN's new status under international law.

Below are the advantages and disadvantages that the ASEAN countries had to face during their tenure regarding the development of economic prosperity as well as trade co operations among the European Union. (Narine, 2002)

Advantages

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) represents the most advanced regional bloc in Asia.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union (EU) best illustrate such a trend; however, regionalism among developing countries has also become popular. However, events were favorable for the formation of ASEAN. First, with the victory of Viet Minh forces in Vietnam in 1954, the United States began to pay greater attention to the region. The seeds of regional cooperation were sown, for instance, when the Unites States agreed to contribute funds and help establish the Asian Development Bank. Second, the ascension of new leadership under Indonesian President Suharto greatly reduced tensions between two of the original ASEAN members, namely, Malaysia and Indonesia, paving the way for improved regional relations. Third, conflicts in Indochina provided an incentive for increased engagement in regional problems. (Hew, 2005)

A part from regional integration, intraregional trade among ASEAN countries has rarely ...