Explaining Regional Integration

Question: Scholars of international relations disagree about the reasons that lead states to pursue regional integration arrangements. What theory best explains the creation of ASEAN? Why? Given the theoretical approaches that we have read, do you believe that the members of ASEAN are likely to pursue deeper integration in the future? Why, or why not? Answer: Economic regionalism has seen a considerable growth in the recent years because of the problems generated by disagreement and interest. Globalization is one of the notable characteristics of the modern system at the international level. Very few members were involved in the World Trade Organization Agreement in the year 2005. The South Asian countries lacked the arrangement of regional security. Therefore, the need for creation of ASEAN arose. There are theories that explain the creation of ASEAN (Acharya and Amitav 2014). Neoliberalism indicates to an approach that goes by the theory that the States are and must be bothered primarily with the absolute gains than the relative gains to the other states (Przeworski and Adam 2014). This theory is the main institutional theory in the predominant theory of international relations of North America. The theory defines organizations as to be made and maintained by the states for serving their interests. The organization has been gaining an advantageous situation since its emergence. ASEAN is at crossroads in the recent times (Cai and David 2014). Its purpose that was set initially has been attained, and this has prevented Southeastern part of Asia from the occurrence of wars any further which followed the Indochina Wars. More than any Asian institutions, ASEAN tried in promoting trade for free in the regional areas, liberalizing the critical markets, and make Asia to independently take care of the economic crisis that would occur in the future. ASEAN might integrate new and many members of the system in the future which could be difficult than to absorb the mainland nations of Southeast in the era of the 1990s. Even though the ASEAN aims at strengthening its secretariat and ends its agreement of free trade, it must not be accepting new members (Henderson and Jeannie 2014). Augmentation can be determined with the help of consent of the present members, and the member states of ASEAN have been unsuccessful in agreeing to extend the participation to East Timor that turned out to be a nondependent nation in the year 2002. It has inculcated Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, those three countries that have fewer officials who are equipped in playing a pivotal role in the meetings of the ASEAN. Hence, the richer members of the ASEAN have started worrying that even though Laos and Cambodia have not yet bigger and modern foreign services, the addition of East Timor would be burdening the institution further, slower the pace of the meetings and enhance the level of difficulty of falsifying the consensus. The people who had objected also worried that by extension of the access to East Timor, the ASEAN may strongly give out signals to the other countries of that area that they might join. Even though, the ASEAN had supported Indonesia, which was the largest member state of the ASEAN, the chances of East Timor for extension look bright for the coming ten years. The members of AS EAN believe in institutional theory and therefore, they do not listen to the member states having fewer officials. The organization was stirred in the year 1997. However, it was not totally shaken by the financial crisis in Asia. Therefore, the association was galvanized and they thought of deepening the integration and projecting their managerial and socialization process in Northeast Asia (Henderson and Jeannie 2014). Reference List Acharya, Amitav.Constructing a security community in Southeast Asia: ASEAN and the problem of regional order. Routledge, 2014. Przeworski, Adam.The state and the economy under capitalism. Routledge, 2014. Cai, David.ASEAN'S Strategic Approach Towards Security Relations with the US and China: Hedging through a Common Foreign and Security Policy. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE FORT LEAVENWORTH KS, 2014. Henderson, Jeannie.Reassessing Asean. Routledge, 2014.