Does ASEAN-ization exist? : assessing social constructivist process through Europeanization

Abstract

Regionalism, regionalization and regional organizations in Asia are highly vibrant seconded to the European one, ranging from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN Reginal Forum (ARF), ASEAN Plus Three (APT), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and East Asia Summit (EAS). Moreover, the idea of ‘new regionalism’, highly influenced by social constructivist views, becomes workable mode in this region, which replaced the overriding Eurocentrist concepts, namely international relations based neo-functionalism and inter-governmentalism. Regionalisms in Asia could be ad hoc, bottom up and informal networks and even driven by the concerns of the weaker actors, particularly ASEAN which works its way towards the ‘regional common’ in the ASEAN Community. Besides, there is also the buildings of the regions or ‘regionalization’ process, not a geographic given but ideationally constructed to achieve synergetic development outcomes in East Asia. Examples of ‘region’