Problems and Progress in Cultural and Regional Interactions: The Case of ASEAN

Abstract

Regionalism and a concern for cultural influences in international affairs have emerged as two salient themes in today's culturally diverse modern world. The generally held view that international affairs are the exclusive domain of power politics has been vigorously challenged by many newly independent non-European countries. The rise of regional groupings like the European Economic Community (EEC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has also been a significant indication of a possible role of cultural influences in the determination of global order. While many sense an important connecting link between cultural influences and traditions and the emergence of regional organizations, the relationships between these two themes remain an essentially unexplored but vitally important area to study. This paper attempts to do three things: first, it asserts that region alism and cultural concerns in international affairs have an important role to play within the broad context of contemporary international events; second, it explores the nature and significance of cultural influ ences in international affairs; third, it suggests why the ASEAN region is a particularly promising area in which to examine the dynamic inter play of these two themes within the context of problems and progress in regional and global interaction. More specifically, the third section of this paper outlines five possible areas in which investigation of problems and progress in ASEAN cultural and regional interaction might begin.