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Dilemmas of Competition and Community Building: PDF Print E-mail
dilemmasDeveloping Civil Society Response to Regional Trade and Economic Integration
by Jenina Joy Chavez and Alexander Chandra

Notwithstanding the proliferation of regional initiatives i n the last decade, the currency of regionalism and regional integration arises more out of the reaction to the rapidness by which the multilateral system is overtaking the world, rather than from an established (indigenous?) need for it. North America forged a Free Trade area as a reaction to the consolidation of the European Union. The initiatives in Asia and the Pacific have been prompted more by the desire of the bigger economies (US in the case of Asia Pacific have been prompted more by the desire of the bigger economies (US in the case of Asia Pacific  Economic Cooperation; EU in the case of Asia Europe Meeting) not to be left out of any major moves by the developing world to cooperate with each other. While the EU can boast of the longest history of regional cooperation with broad focus, attempts elsewhere had been limited to economic (specifically trade) agreements, with some not even close to claiming any success (e.g. Latin America and Africa).

This publication is a part of South East Asian Committee for Advocacy’s (SEACA’s) Occasional Papers. Released in January 2008, this Occasional Paper is available at the SEACA office: #29-D Mayaman Street UP Village, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines. For inquiries about the purchase or distribution of the publication, please contact SEACA at or you may visit their website at www.seaca.net.
 
Civil Society Reflections on South East Asian Regionalism: ASEAN@40 PDF Print E-mail

seaca-asean40edited by Alex Chandra and Jenina Joy Chavez

This book is an initial attempt at documenting how far peoples’ advocacies have reached in ASEAN. It is a product of collaboration among groups and individuals involved in various advocacies and campaigns in the region, most of whom are active members of the Solidarity for Asian Peoples’ Advocacies (SAPA) Working Group on ASEAN.

Civil society is increasingly becoming an important element in the regionalization process of South East Asia. On the one hand, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is starting to recognize the roles of civil society as crucial in determining its future shape and agenda. ASEAN is slowly, albeit cautiously, opening up its door for the involvement of civil society groups in its processes. On the other hand, the new interest in ASEAN reflects the growing importance civil society gives to it, both in terms of its potential benefits and in terms of the negative impacts an unaccountable regional association could mean to the region’s peoples. Still, civil society continues to regard ASEAN as elitist and state-centric; the regional body will have to do more if it is to achieve its dream of becoming a people-centered organization.  Read the whole book description from the SEACA Website
 
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