ARF
is Now a Big Dog Barking
By Brad Glosserman -- Global Beat Syndicate
Honolulu -- Not long after the Regional Forum for the Association of South East Asian Nations was first created to discuss regional security issues, a Chinese diplomat was asked what he thought of all the carping and scolding directed at his country. "ARF," he said disdainfully, "is the sound of a small dog yapping."
But that was well over a decade ago. And finally, ARF has come of age. First, because Southeast Asia is considered "the second front" in the war against terrorism, bringing ARF to center stage as the primary venue for dialogue on such issues. Second, after last month’s pivotal meeting in Brunei, its long-held reputation as a "talk shop" that is long on rhetoric but short on action, is at an end.
The pledge by ARF’s member states to fight international terrorism might not have been enough to change old images, but the significance of the Brunei meeting can be found in the substance of that commitment. If member states now implement the measures they endorsed in late July, it will mark a turning point, changing the forum’s focus and its role.
The new "Statement on Measures Against Terrorist Financing" lays out specific steps that states have committed to take to fight the terrorist threat. And instead of the usual diplomatic vagueness of such phrases as "participants should" or "agree that….," the Statement emphatically states that "ARF participants will implement quickly and decisively measures that the United Nations has identified as mandatory to combating terrorist financing. We will block terrorists’ access to our financial system. We will work with other relevant international bodies…." It then lists concrete steps the member states have agreed to take.
Apart from silencing the critics, the agreement marks two other important shifts in the atmosphere of the region. The first is ARF’s maturation. Until now, the consensus was that East Asia’s unusual political-military environment required a "go-slow approach" to institution building. Thus, ARF had to start with the most elementary of confidence-building measures before it could begin to consider conflict prevention, and eventually, the most sensitive issue: conflict resolution. That is a touchy subject because it could involve military intervention to resolve disputes. At this stage, most argue that focus must be on confidence building measures to increase trust among members, although there have been some tentative forays into preventive diplomacy.
In a marked departure, the Statement on Terrorist Financing calls for clearly defined action. For example, the steps on international cooperation – enhancing international exchange of information, or setting up a financial intelligence unit, go considerably beyond what had previously been argued was possible. In that sense, if actions follow word, Brunei may have been a watershed ARF meeting.
The second important development was the focus of the discussions. About one-third of the chairman’s statement is devoted to terrorism – as much space as is given to specific East Asian security concerns like stability on the Korean Peninsula or the South China Sea.
This shift toward "transnational" threats requires a broad-based approach that is much closer to notions of "comprehensive national security" that China has championed. On the other hand, such an approach has potentially ominous implications for governments that have zealously protected their national sovereignty and national prerogatives.
Sensitivities about national sovereignty were clearly an issue as the member states negotiated the U.S.-ASEAN Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism. Indonesia and Vietnam were reluctant to sign any agreement that might legitimize foreign intervention on their soil, so the agreement recognizes "the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity and nonintervention in the domestic affairs of other states" as the guiding principles of ASEAN diplomacy.
ASEAN states nonetheless endorsed information sharing, the development of more effective counter-terrorism policies, and far greater cooperation among law enforcement agencies. Despite being bound by "their respective domestic laws and their specific circumstances," these measures move member states well beyond mere confidence building.
The United States must now acknowledge the growing importance of ASEAN and the Forum, and take advantage of all that can be gained by cooperating with it and its member states. Secretary of State Colin Powell received high marks from diplomats and analysts after his recent tour of the region, and President Bush’s cameo appearance in the video prepared for the traditional dinner made a strong positive impression as well. Engagement comes in many forms, and Washington now needs to recognize that a little effort can go a long way in dealing with the vast and complex East Asia and Pacific region.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Brad Glosserman, a contributing editor to The Japan Times, is director of research at Pacific Forum CSIS, a Honolulu-based think tank.