Globalization vs Regionalism 3.

Forming regional alliance for several

purposes
Globalization —In the belief of “their strength in numbers”,
—has made people aware of the world in the various countries or states decidedto build
general. However, it can still bring us challenges. organizations or alliances for several reasons.
And as a way of coping with these challenges, ○ Military defense
governments, associations, societies, and ○ Economic development
groups form regional organizations and/or ○ Independent protection
networks.

Regionalism Regional Organizations

—is often seen as a political and economic 1. For Military Defense
phenomenon, the term actually encompasses a ● NATO / North Atlantic Treaty Organization
broader area. Additionally, it is a process and —Formed during the cold war after the
must be treated as an “emergent, socially agreement of the Western European Countries
constituted phenomenon.” It specifically and US to protect Europe from the Soviet
implies that regions are not natural or given, as Union. In response..
they are rather constructed and defined by ● WARSAW PACT/ Soviet
policymakers, economic actors, and social —Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation,
movements as well. It can be examined in and Mutual Assistance consisting of the Eastern
relation to identities, ethics, religion, ecological European Countries under Soviet domination.
sustainability, and health. Imploded in December 1991.
2. For Economic Development
Countries, Regions, and Globalization —To pool resources, get better returns for
Basic Features of Region exports, expand leverage against trading
● A group of countries located in the same partners.
geographically specified area. ● OPEC/ Organization of the Petroleum
● A combination of more than two regions Exporting Countries
organized to regulate and oversee flows and —Established in Baghdad in September 1960 by
policy choices. founding members Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia, and Venezuela to regulate production
Regionalism VS. Regionalization and the sale or the market of oil.
● Regionalism 3. For Independence Protection
—a political process characterized by economic ● NAM/ Non-Aligned Movement
policy cooperation and combination among —Created in 1961 by the President’s of Egypt,
countries. Ghana, India, Indonesia, and Yugoslavia.
● Regionalization —To pursue world peace and international
—regional concentration economic flows, it is a cooperation, human rights, national
process of dividing the area into regions. sovereignty, racial and national equality, non
intervention, and peaceful conflict resolution.
How countries respond economically and
politically to Globalization?
1. Abundant resources are used to participate in Factors Leading to a Greater Integration of
the process of global unification. Asian Regions
Ex: China offers its cheap and huge workforce to —Economic Crisis Compels countries to come
attract foreign business and expand trades with hand-in-hand to help the country in need. One
countries it once considered enemies. example of the crisis is the collapsed of:
2. Taking advantage by their strategic location ● Thai Economy
Ex: Singapore and Switzerland compensate for —Collapsed in 1960 after foreign currency
their lack of resources by turning themselves speculators and troubled international banks
into financial and banking hubs. demanded that the Thai government pay back
its loans. A rapid withdrawal of foreign Strategies and Tactics of Organizations
investments bankrupted the economy. 1. Some organizations partner with
However, the IMF….. governments to initiate social change.
● International Monetary Fund ➢ Legitimizers
—tried to reverse the crisis, but it was only after —those who work with governments and
the ASEAN countries along with China, Japan, participate in “institutional mechanisms that
and South Korea agreed to establish an afford some civil society groups voice and
emergency fund to anticipate a crisis that the influence in technocratic policy-making
Asian economies stabilized. processes.
● ASEAN/ Associated of Southeast Asian Examples:
Nation ➔ ASEAN on Human Right Declaration (2009)
—together with the countries of China, Japan, ➔ South America’s left-wing governments
and South Korea, the organization established support the Hemispheric Social Alliances,
an emergency fund to anticipate that the Asian opposite to the North American Free Trade
economies stabilized. Agreement (NAFTA).
The crisis made ASEAN more “unified ➔ Members of the Mesa de Articulación de
and coordinated. After the Vietnam War, ASEAN Asociaciones Nacionales y Redes de ONGs de
continued to act as a military alliance to isolate América Latina y El Caribe (Roundtable of
Vietnam after it invaded Cambodia, but there National Association and Networks and NGOs in
were also the beginnings of academic Latin America and The Caribbean) participate in
cooperation. “forums, summits, and dialogues with resident
of ministers.”
➔ In Southeast Asia, the organization of an
Non-State Regionalism ASEAN Parliamentarians for human rights was
—It is not only states that agree to work part of the result of non-government
together in the name of a single cause (or organization and civil society groups pushing to
causes). Communities also engage in regional prevent discrimination.
organizing, which is what we call “new
regionalism.” 2. Some dedicate themselves to specialized
causes.
Forms of New Regionalism
➢ RAINFOREST FOUNDATION
1. Tiny associations
—established by activists across Central and
—includes no more than a few actors and focus
South America to protect indigenous people
on a single issue. Ex: Military
and the rainforests in Brazil, Guyana, Panama,
2. Huge continental unions
and Peru.
—address a multiple of common problems from
REGIONAL INTERFAITH YOUTH NETWORKS
territorial defense and food security. Ex: United
—formed by Young Christians across Asia,
Nations
Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and the
● Organizations representing this “new Caribbean to promote “conflict prevention,
regionalism” likewise rely on the power of resolution, peace, education, and sustainable
individuals, non-governmental organizations development.”
(NGOs), and associations to link up with one ➢ MIGRANT FORUM in Asia
another in pursuit of a particular goal (or goals). —another regional network of NGOs and trade
● “New Regionalism” is identified with unions “committed to protect[ing] and
reformists who share the same “values, norms, promot[ing] the rights and welfare of migrant
institutions, and system that exist outside of the workers.”
traditional, established mainstream institutions
● New regionalism differs significantly from
and systems.
traditional state-to-state regionalism when it
comes to identifying problems.
● Example: States treat poverty or consider leaving for economic policy flexibility.
environmental degradation as technical or ● Anti- immigrant sentiment and a populist
economic issues that can be resolved by refining campaign against Europe have already led to
existing programs of state agencies, making the United Kingdom voting to leave the
minor changes in economic policies, and European Union in a move the media has
creating new offices that address these issues. termed the "Brexit."
● However, new regionalism advocates such as
the NGO Global Forum see these issues as
ASEAN DISAGREEMENTS
reflections of flawed economic development
● sovereignty for regional stability
and environmental models.
● The Philippines faced difficulty garnering
● By “flawed,” they mean economic
support for condemning China's West
development plans that are market-based,
Philippine Sea occupation.
profit-driven, and hardly connected with social
● Cambodia and Laos led the opposition
welfare, especially among the poor.
favoring diplomacy over confrontation
● Clash between "participatory regionalism"
Challenges of New Regionalism and ASEAN's non-interference policy.
1. The discord that may emerge among them.
—Disagreements may surface over issues like
DIFFERING VISIONS OF REGIONALISM
gender and religion.
● Western Perspective: Regional organizations
Ex: Pro-choice NGOs breaking from religious
seen as instruments of economic formation and
civil society groups that side with the church
political democratization.
such as Muslim imams that opposed to
● Non-Western View: Non-Western nations
reproductive rights and other pro-women
such as Singapore, China, and Russia view
policies
democracy as an impediment to economic
2. They are not as welcoming as the civil
globalization, favoring efficiency over the
society groups to new trends and set up one
potential delays posed by democratic
obstacle after another.
processes.
Ex: Migrant Forum Asia and its ally, the
Coordination of Action Research on AIDS Conclusion
(CARAM), lobbied the ASEAN government to
defend migrant labor rights. Their program of Official Regional Organizations now cover the
action, however, slowed down once countries vast swaths of the world.
like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand refused ➢ In 2007, countries that joined the Asia-Pacific
to recognize the rights of undocumented Economic Council (APEC) comprised 37% of the
migrant workers and the rights of the families of world’s population.
migrants. ➢ In the present time, APEC's member
economies are home to more than 2.9 billion
Contemporary Challenges to Regionalism
people and make up over 60% of global GDP.
Today, regionalism faces multiple
challenges, the most serious of which is the Countries that are part of the “smaller”
resurgence of militant nationalism and organizations
populism. The refusal to dismantle NATO after ● Association of Southeast Asian Nations
the collapse of the Soviet Union, for example, ● Shanghai Cooperation Organization
has become the basis of the anti-NATO rhetoric ● North American Free Trade Agreement
of Vladimir Putin in Russia. ● Caribbean and Pacific Group of States
● Union of South American Nations
European Union Crisis
● North Korea (isolationist)
● The most crisis-ridden regional organization
of today is the European Union.
● Pressure on countries, such as Greece, to