Regionalism and Security in Southeast Asia

Abstract

In the general literature on regionalism and regional integration, the concept of security has played an ambiguous role. The realist approach, which has a vague connection to regionalism, focuses the question of security on defense against military threat. As the main concern is national security, the regional solution becomes military alliances. However, from institutionalist or functionalist standpoints, the question of regional security is not so simple. Institutionalism also understands military action as the main threat against security, but it pays attention to the sources of war. Therefore from an institutionalist standpoint, the question of regional security becomes a matter of comprehensive and common security and involves economic, social and environmental problems. Superficially, functionalism seems to have little to say about security issues, let alone about defense questions. Originally, however, functionalist theories came into being as answers to the threat of war. It is only because of the strong position of strategic and defense studies in security issues that the functionalist approach is largely ignored. For functionalism, security threats come from military, political, economic and environmental problems which, if not solved, may catalyze war. The solution is regional cooperation, not seen as an end in itself but rather as a source of renewable forms of cooperation.