{"id":37633,"date":"2018-03-01T14:30:14","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T03:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=37633"},"modified":"2018-03-01T13:57:54","modified_gmt":"2018-03-01T02:57:54","slug":"australias-ever-changing-perspectives-asean-time-get-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australias-ever-changing-perspectives-asean-time-get-right\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s ever-changing perspectives on ASEAN: time to get it right"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Throughout the last half-century, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has occupied a variety of roles in Australian strategic thinking. Australia has been supportive, fearful, fascinated, distant and neglectful. It has even contemplated joining.<\/p>\n

Despite geographical proximity and long-term diplomatic engagement, Australia still has blind spots, which change according to the prevailing political mood in Canberra. Its current embrace of ASEAN is welcomed by the region. And undoubtedly, Australia\u2019s deep-rooted connections with Southeast Asia will remain strong.<\/p>\n

But how Australia should position itself relative to ASEAN is still unclear. One thing is certain: ASEAN isn\u2019t, and shouldn\u2019t be considered, the sum total of Australia\u2019s engagement in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important for any future policy decisions that Canberra is serious about embracing a comprehensive view of ASEAN. It isn\u2019t merely a \u2018talk shop\u2019. Nor is it a sacred cow that can\u2019t be approached critically. ASEAN\u2019s political and economic interests and activities are vast, and there should be no shortcuts in assessing them.<\/p>\n

Southeast Asia\u2019s geographical proximity to Australia hasn\u2019t changed, but Canberra\u2019s perspective often has. At the outset Australia recognised the regional body\u2019s importance when it became ASEAN\u2019s first dialogue partner in 1974. But the fluctuating diplomatic support for ASEAN in the decades since then has been labelled \u2018the Australian ambivalence<\/a>\u2019. The tendency to overlook its neighbours<\/a> and focus on bigger and more powerful partners\u2014often geographically distant\u2014hasn\u2019t gone away, notwithstanding Australian participation in many ASEAN-centred institutions that have enabled deeper economic and security engagement with Asia.<\/p>\n

Diplomatic engagement with ASEAN has contributed to Australia\u2019s process of reinventing its identity as an \u2018Asia\u2013Pacific\u2019 power and the current debate over a future \u2018Indo-Pacific\u2019 polity. In 2008 Kevin Rudd suggested the idea of an \u2018Asia\u2013Pacific community<\/a>\u2019. That received a mixed reception. ASEAN, in particular, saw it as an attempt to overshadow the organisation\u2019s role as the central pillar of the region\u2019s economic and security architecture. The idea never gained support<\/a>, and it has taken Canberra some time before attempting another repositioning of itself vis-\u00e0-vis the region.<\/p>\n

Ten years on, both the Turnbull government and the opposition<\/a> seem to have embraced the idea that ASEAN will remain vital to Australia\u2019s economic and trade security. The 2017 foreign policy white paper<\/a> recognised ASEAN\u2019s regional centrality. And Australia has invited regional leaders and business representatives to attend the first Australia\u2013ASEAN Special Summit<\/a> in March 2018. It\u2019s worth remembering, however, that ASEAN has a number of special dialogues and partnerships in place\u2014it just completed the ASEAN\u2013India Commemorative Summit<\/a> in January. So the summit might be the first and special in Australian eyes, but it\u2019s neither for ASEAN.<\/p>\n

The initiative involves a considerable bureaucratic commitment led by the prime minister\u2019s department. Its broad agenda testifies to the current renewed enthusiasm for the region. To some observers, it could push Australia to consider joining ASEAN. Graeme Dobell\u2019s proposition<\/a> has a strong point: joining ASEAN would entail a formal and fixed commitment to the institution and the region. Although the current debate is confined to a small circle in Canberra\u2014and isn\u2019t happening at all in the region\u2014Australian membership of ASEAN could serve as \u2018shock therapy\u2019 that might inject the organisation with a new dose of confidence and resources.<\/p>\n

The counter-arguments, however, are many. It\u2019s unlikely that the 10 ASEAN members\u2014who already struggle with internal unity\u2014would accept major changes that would further dilute their fragile sense of commonality. Australian accession\u2014let alone bundling New Zealand and others\u2014would distort existing dynamics between mainland and maritime Southeast Asia. It would also shift the centre of gravity towards the Pacific. So the idea of bringing others on board would further distract from ASEAN\u2019s already bumpy regional identity project.<\/p>\n

If the idea is to be seriously entertained, Australia needs to be careful to avoid any resemblance to the Rudd-era concept that essentially meant bypassing ASEAN. Also, the assumption that ASEAN is a grouping of middle powers that could offer a shield for Australia remains wishful thinking.<\/p>\n

Current geostrategic volatility associated with the developing power shift in the region is the imperative for Australia to seek closer ties with Southeast Asia. However, Canberra needs to have a deeper recognition of what ASEAN is, and a better understanding of what ASEAN membership would entail. The special summit signals, hopefully, continued and broadening partnerships with the region that will foster greater mutual understanding.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s varying attitudes towards ASEAN has resembled a drawing class exercise on getting perspective right. Australia has been outside, in front of, behind, beside, overlooking, far away, close up and, one day, may even be inside ASEAN. Let\u2019s hope that its enthusiasm doesn\u2019t burn out after the summit, and that Canberra\u2019s current fascination isn\u2019t just a passing phase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout the last half-century, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has occupied a variety of roles in Australian strategic thinking. Australia has been supportive, fearful, fascinated, distant and neglectful. It has even contemplated joining. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":755,"featured_media":37634,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[189,285],"class_list":["post-37633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-asean","tag-foreign-policy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAustralia\u2019s ever-changing perspectives on ASEAN: time to get it right | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/australias-ever-changing-perspectives-asean-time-get-right\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Australia\u2019s ever-changing perspectives on ASEAN: time to get it right | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Throughout the last half-century, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has occupied a variety of roles in Australian strategic thinking. 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