Center for Security Studies

Suche

A New Model of Asian Regionalism

A New Model of Asian Regionalism

Does the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Have More Potential than ASEAN?

Autor(en): Stephen Aris
Journaltitel: Cambridge Review of International Affairs
Reviewed:  
Band: 22
Ausgabe: 3
Seiten: 451-467
Verlag(e): Routledge
Publikationsjahr: 2009

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an established player in Southeast Asia, while the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an emergent force in Central Asia. This article comparatively assesses ASEAN and SCO to investigate the nature of each organization's model of cooperation and their utility in the contemporary political landscape in Asia. It argues that SCO differs from ASEAN on a few significant points: its composition and level of institutionalization. At the same time, both organizations have similar agendas and models of cooperation, emphasizing a common spirit, flexibility and a focus on regime security. The paper concludes that ASEAN's model of cooperation continues to be relevant to the contemporary Asian landscape, and its brand of loosely codified, informal and norm driven multilateralism continues to be durable and robust.