Political Science 178: ASEAN and Globalization - Creating a Unified Community in a Globalizing World (Term Paper Sample)

Aguila, John Louis May 17, 2016
Political Science 178
The ASEAN and Globalization: Creating a unified community in a Globalizing world
I. Introduction
Globalization is defined as the process of increasing interconnectedness of economic, philosophical, and technical aspects throughout the world. However, this definition is very limited to economic and technical aspects, that a Socio-Cultural Anthropologist, Arjun Appadurai provided a more specific definition of it. For him, Globalization is the process in which nation states are influenced by transnational actors that bring about change – political, cultural, technological, ideological, and economic – through complex nodes of exchange (Appadurai, 1996). These nodes could then be located in the transnational constructions of "imaginary landscapes" that displace aspects of daily societal life that were once isolated (for the most part) and endemic to specific locations or nation states. There are five (5) of these imaginary landscapes, namely: Ethnoscapes, Technoscapes, Finanscapes, Mediascapes, and Ideoscapes. Following from this idea, the scope and spread of these "scapes" relatively shows how successful and pervasion globalization is. Thus, in this paper, we would use these specific landscapes as ‘determiners’ whether the ASEAN integration has hindered or improved that capacity of global states to challenge globalization.
To start with it, we assume that it is better to answer the question first before laying out the supporting proofs and cases regarding this. The ASEAN integration was signed in Bangkok on August 8, 1967, to fight against communism that has pervaded different parts of the region. However, as a region characterized by constant domestic challenges and external threats (Chun Hung, 2010), capitalism and regionalization – two important requisites of a globalizing region – found its way through the region slowly and with difficulty. However, because of the ASEAN integration, these two requisites developed exponentially, thus, accelerating the process of globalizing the said region. From this, we believe that the ASEAN integration has hindered the capacity of its members (nation-states) to fight globalization, moreover, it even helped in globalizing its members through better and more efficient displacement of these imaginary landscapes. However, unlike others who believe that the increase in the rate of globalization within these ASEAN countries is detrimental for the each state – endangers that sovereignty of the state, permits exploitation of transnational corporation, endangers nationalism through homogenization of ideas, etc. – we believe that this increase further improves not only the economy of the country but also its, cultural identity and security.
II. Facets of Globalization
A globalizing world has its own share of benefits and dangers. Just like the development of the European Union (EU), there are times when a state’s sovereignty should be put at risk in order to achieve greater economic prosperity and regional integrity (Chun Hung, 2010). However, creating a community out of a region that is constantly in threat of domestic challenges and external threats is not as easy to achieve just like in Europe. Despite this, the ASEAN was formed and as a unique community and the regional bloc that fosters globalization in its very beginning, we believe that its inclination towards a globalizing world is strategically designed to gain the most benefit out of this fast-paced globalizing world.
In this chapter, we would discuss how the ASEAN fostered globalization and used it to maximize its own gains, promote its own beliefs, achieve economic security and create its identity.
A. Ethnoscapes
Ethnoscapes are defined as the increasing interconnectedness of the landscape of persons who constitute the shifting world in which we live in tourists, immigrants, refugees, exiles, guest workers, and other moving groups and persons" (Appadurai, 1996). As a feature (and a phenomenon inherent) of globalization, increasing ethnoscapes pose certain potentials and dangers for ASEAN countries. On one hand, this increase in mobility for individuals in going from one state to another, helps in providing jobs and developing human capital (ie. Technical skills and education). On the other, this could threaten a state’s sovereignty and financial stability among others, due to incidents of illegal immigrations, human trafficking, religious fundamentalism, etc. Just like other states which are slowly being dominated by globalization, those in the Southeast Asian countries are just as vulnerable.
The ASEAN integration provided a way for its members to maximize the benefits of this ever-increasing mobility and interconnectedness of individuals while trying to put a stop on its imminent dangers. To do this, member states focused on ‘re-routing’ the ethnoscapes within its borders through ease of access when traveling from one country to the next. According to Chun Hung (2010), "Southeast Asia is more of a geographical than a political, economic, and cultural region" thus, "it is more difficult for ASEAN members to engender mutual trust" and "to strengthen common standards and values”. It is apparent that people with conflicting ideologies (especially radicalizes) would find it hard to live together, and this has been the case with Southeast Asian nations before the declaration of the ASEAN.
Within the ASEAN borders, migration has been relatively easier as compared before. Be it Tourism or Labor migration, AEC reported that the integration boosted movement of people inside and outside the borders of the region (Asian Development Bank, 2015). This movement at the same time. Boosted GDPs of most countries through tourism and remittance inflows. As the ASEAN-AEC blueprint 2015 developed, the economic integration between its members includes easier movement of the skilled workforce, students, and manpower within the region. Furthermore, the blueprint supports "improvements in transport connectivity and other infrastructure networks; these have facilitated cross-border transportation and contributed to reducing overall costs of doing business" (ASEAN Economic Community, 2015). Because of this, it is said that tourists arrivals in the region went up to around 96.5 million people per year (extra-Asia), whereas, Intra-Asia tourists comprise the most part of Intra-Asia tourism – 93% (58.3 million) of the subregion’s 62.4 million total in 2013 (Asian Development Bank, 2015). In terms of GDP, International remittances, and tourism receipts already accounts for 3.4 and 2.8% of Asia’s total GDP. As we can see, the ASEAN integration fostered and used the increasing ethnoscape, within Intra- and Extra-ASEAN borders, as an avenue for economic development and regional integration. The movement of people within and outside the region boosted globalization while at the same time increased the economic integrity of the region.
B. Technoscapes
Globalization through its course helped in the technological advancement of developing states such as the members of ASEAN. Technoscapes defined by Appadurai (1996) as "the global configuration, also ever fluid, of technology, and of the fact that technology, both high and low, both mechanical and informational, now moves at high speeds across kinds of previously impervious boundaries”. This increase, in ‘mechanical’ as well as ‘informational’, have reduced the ‘technological gap’ between poor and rich countries – a feature that is inherent in a globalizing world. However, globalization didn’t do everything by itself, the ASEAN integration provided an avenue for an easier transmission and dissemination (education) of these types of knowledge.
According to Koh (2007), education in most parts of the world is globalized by the fact that it’s is caught up with "improving test scores, branding education as a positional good, and repositioning the educational systems to provide the skills needed for the new economy. Phenomena he called as "parochializing" the education system. Surely...