More Reasons why the founding prin

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Subject: More Reasons why  the founding principles of ASEAN  -suck.-

<<The following news article is from a STRATFOR REPORT  from Global
Intelligence Update dated the 15th of September 1999. >>


East Timor Triggers Reevaluation of ASEAN Principle of Non-Intervention
15 September 1999

Summary

The debate continues over the composition of the United Nations
peacekeeping
force for East Timor. The main focus has been on an Asian versus
Western-led
mission. Despite the Indonesian government stating it will accept any
forces
the UN decides to send, many in Indonesia and other Asian nations
maintain
that the peacekeeping force and the issue of East Timor as a whole
should be
handled within Asia. The question of peacekeepers has accelerated the
dialogue among ASEAN nations on the basic principle of non-interference,
bringing to the forefront the issues of Asian unity and cooperation in
non-economic areas. If the ASEAN nations overcome their long-held
opposition
to involvement in the internal affairs of member countries it could lead
the
region down a slippery slope. 

Analysis

With Indonesia's decision to allow foreign peacekeeping forces into East
Timor, the debate over the force's composition began. Although Australia
offered to lead the peacekeepers, Malaysia's proposal of a primarily
Asian
force, presented at the APEC summit in New Zealand on September 12,
quickly
attracted Indonesia. Members of Indonesia's parliament called for the
rejection of Australian, New Zealand, Portuguese, and U.S. troops. The
U.S
reacted by insisting that Indonesia not put conditions on the
international
force's composition.

The debate over an appropriate response continues among Asian nations,
even
though Indonesia said it would leave the decision of force composition
to
the UN. Within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) the
issue
of whether and how to intervene in East Timor raises the long held and
often
contentious principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of
member
nations. Since its founding in 1967 as a chiefly economic organization,
ASEAN distanced itself from the internal issues of member states. As a
result, countries like Myanmar were admitted despite international
condemnation of its human rights record.

An ASEAN decision to allow member states to intervene in the East Timor
crisis would open a Pandora's Box leading to the violation of the
non-interference principle, in a region where member states have had
some
very bad experiences with outside intervention. A decision to enter into
East Timor would lead to the downfall of one of the founding principles
of
ASEAN cooperation. On a larger scale, the principle of non-interference
is
followed by most of the Asian nations. Overturning it could unsettle the
region.

Non-interference became a focus among ASEAN nations in 1997. Cambodia's
entrance into ASEAN was delayed following now Prime Minister Hun Sen's
coup.
Asia's economic crisis further complicated the non-interference issue.
The
crisis threw ASEAN nations into competition over western funds. But
distaste
of the IMF-induced austerity measures and the region's slow recovery led
to
a reunification of sorts among ASEAN and other Asian nations. A movement
toward a more economic, political, and even militarily unified Asia
independent from the West began to form.

Given the current crisis in East Timor, non-interference is particularly
significant for ASEAN, as Indonesia is its largest member. The entire
organization depends on Indonesia's stability.

All of ASEAN's founding members agreed that an Asian solution is more
palatable than western interference in East Timor. Still each of the
countries, especially Thailand, ASEAN's current chair, emphasized that
in
offering support and assistance in East Timor, they are not doing so
under
the ASEAN banner. Not surprisingly, both Myanmar and Cambodia have said
they
will not offer troops, as both are staunch supporters of the
non-interference ideal.

Beside ASEAN, Japan, South Korea, and China are being drawn into the
East
Timor crisis. Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said on August
14,
"We should listen to the opinion of the Indonesian government on what
sort
of troops will be most effective in restoring order." South Korea is
currently mulling 300 Special Forces troops for East Timor, while China
is
considering also sending troops.

For China to even consider joining the peacekeeping operation in East
Timor
is significant, as it has traditionally feared setting an international
precedent for similar actions toward separatist struggles in China. This
involvement is part of the larger move toward Asian unity and a response
to
the perceived U.S. hegemony in international affairs. Among the
Northeast
Asian nations, there have been several recent advancements in military
cooperation, with joint naval exercises between South Korea and Japan,
Japan
and Russia, and proposed exercises between South Korea and China.

As the UN decides the structure of the East Timor peacekeeping mission,
discussions on Asian unity and regionalism have accelerated. East Timor
is a
test case for post economic crisis Asia in determining just how far
Asian
cooperation should go. While the issue of economic cooperation without
western intervention was previously Asia's unifying theme, dealing with
regional political and security crises will force Asia to rethink its
generally accepted non-interference relationship.

The debate that is now raging is whether it is better to remain
politically
and militarily neutral, a path that may lead to more western
intervention in
Asia's political structure, or to become more closely involved in each
other's national issues in order to avoid western interference. While
the
former was previously the overwhelmingly accepted mandate for Asia, the
latter now appears to be gaining the upper hand.