Aside from aspirational, ASEAN must also be pragmatic

AWANI

The KL Declaration reaffirms ASEAN’s unity and centrality, but questions linger on whether it reflects real geopolitical shifts or remains a diplomatic aspiration, an issue explored with Thomas Daniel.

Transcript

00:00The Kuala Lumpur Declaration is the latest reaffirmation of ASEAN unity and centrality,

00:05which are long-standing principles the bloc holds dear.

00:09Is this declaration a reflection of geopolitical reality, or just another diplomatic aspiration?

00:15We put this to the test and ask ISIS Malaysia's Director of Foreign Policy and Security Studies, Thomas Daniel.

00:23Except for the slightly more optimistic and open regional dynamics that there was during the late 90s and early 2000s,

00:31ASEAN has always had to deal with difficult and uncertain geopolitical circumstances.

00:37And ASEAN has also always historically been very aspirational with its declarations and its plans.

00:44While ASEAN's ability as a norm-setting organization is under some pressure,

00:49the very mechanisms like ARF, sorry, the ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Plus 3, East Asia Summit,

00:56all of this came about from aspirational goals to begin with.

01:01So what's important here is to remember that, you know, aside from being aspirational,

01:06ASEAN also needs to be pragmatic, which is another strength of this,

01:10or at least was another strength of this regional organization.

01:12Now, even the ASEAN's theme for this year, inclusivity and sustainability,

01:18while seemingly simple at the outset, is in effect, I think, a call for action from Malaysia,

01:24for ASEAN to take stock and to ensure its long-term resilience and utility

01:28by holding fast to core, pragmatic and forward-looking values.

01:33On centrality, though, I will just add one more point,

01:36which is that while member states often harp on centrality,

01:40it is only as good as ASEAN's own cohesion and the ability to respond effectively

01:44to emerging internal and regional realities and challenges.

01:48So narratives on centrality must be backed by action

01:51and some appetite for ASEAN to take on more risk.

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