Chapter: 5 - Regional Organization - Discussion Questions §

Contents §

1. Europe’s Regional Organization

1.1. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization

1.2. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

1.3. The European Union

2. Asia’s regional Organization

2.1. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations

2.2. The ASEAN Regional Forum

2.3. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

2.4. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Questions §

1. What are some Regional Organization in Europe?

⏩ Regional Organization in Europe:

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
• The European Union

2. Describe the main function and characteristics of NATO

⏩ Main function and characteristics of NATO

❓ NATO or The North Atlantic Treaty Organization: is the most highly organized regional security organization in the world

✋ Main function: Collective defense. The main purpose of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means.

Article 5: “that an armed attack against one or more of them [the parties to the treaty] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all,”

👧🏻 Characteristic:

• NATO has 30 members
• The main principle organ is the North Atlantic Council, which meet twice a year at ministerial level, weekly at ambassadorial level and periodically at the summit level to provide strategic direction for the alliance, launch new initiatives, and build partnerships with non-NATO members. The decision making is consensus, members have De Facto Veto
• Parliament assembly: links the alliance with legislatures and, through them, with citizens.
• Military committee: oversees NATO’s elaborate integrated military command structure and missions.
• The NATO security-general: chairs the council, in addition to preparing budgets, arranging meeting agendas, supervising the secretariat, and representing the organization in relations with governments and other international organizations.

3. Describe the main function and characteristics of the OSCE

⏩ Main function and characteristics of OSCE

❓ The OSCE or the organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is the broadest organization in the European security architecture because it has 56 member states in Europe and former Soviet Central Asia, plus the United States and Canada.

✋ Main function: The OSCE has played a major role in managing post-Cold War changes in Europe

• Organizing, supervising, monitoring of electoral processes
• Promote human right and minority right
• Train police, negotiate cease-fire, and mandate agreement
• Undertake preventive diplomacy
• Transnational threats

👧🏻 Characteristic:

• Some of its actions are:
  • trained police in Croatia, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan; negotiated a cease-fire in Chechnya;
  • mediated agreements between governments and secessionist regions in Moldova, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Tajikistan; and undertaken preventive diplomacy in Crimea in Ukraine.
• Despite its large membership, the OSCE has been able “to respond more rapidly than most other institutions and to adapt its responses more appropriately to the specific issues arising in particular cases”
• The OSCE has also responded to transnational threats

4. Describe the main function and characteristics of the EU

⏩ Main function and characteristics of EU

❓ The EU or The European Union is a unique entity that has become deeply institutionalized and involves far more commitment than any other regional organization

✋ Main function: The purpose of EU is to promote peace, establish a unified economic and monetary system, promote inclusion and combat discrimination, break down barriers to trade and borders, encourage technological and scientific developments, champion environmental protection, and, among others, promote goals like a competitive global market and social progress.

👧🏻 Characteristic:

• Members: 27 member countries
• Three Pillar of the EU

5. What are some Regional Organization in Asia?

⏩ Regional Organization in Asia:

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
• The ASEAN Regional Forum
• The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization

6. Describe the main function and characteristics of ASEAN

⏩ Main function and characteristics of ASEAN

❓ The ASEAN or The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation among its ten members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

✋ Main function: The ASEAN Declaration states that the aims and purposes of the Association are: (1) to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian nations, and (2) to promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries in the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. In 1995, the ASEAN Heads of State and Government re-affirmed that “Cooperative peace and shared prosperity shall be the fundamental goals of ASEAN.”

7. Describe the main function and characteristics of ARF

⏩ Main function and characteristics of ARF

❓ ARF or the ASEAN Regional Forum was Created by ASEAN in 1994. ARF is a security dialogue that based on the norm of cooperative security

✋ Main function: ARF’s goals include confidence building, preventive diplomacy, and conflict resolution

👧🏻 Characteristic:

• The ARF is characterized by consensus-based decision-making and frank dialogue. It comprises 27 members: the 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam); the 10 ASEAN dialogue partners (Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States); Bangladesh, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste; and one ASEAN observer (Papua New Guinea).
• Dialogue topic include those of trending issue; South China Sea disputes, denuclearization…….
• After 9/11 attack, ARF started to shift its focus to cooperation against terrorism and other transnational treats

8. Describe the main function and characteristics of The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

⏩ Main function and characteristics of The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

❓ The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a regional economic forum that was established in 1989

✋ Main function: facilitate intergovernmental dialogue on economic policy issues

👧🏻 Characteristic:

• Currently has 21 member

• Unclear priorities between the  3 Pillars

  • Liberalization of trade and investment
  • Facilitation of trade
  • Economic and technical cooperation

9. Describe the main function and characteristics of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization

⏩ Main function and characteristics of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization

❓ SCO evolved out of annual summit meetings among the leaders Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan

✋ Main function: The initial purpose was to sign a treaty on confidence-building measure in their share border region

👧🏻 Characteristic:

• Has 8 member states

• SCO then turned into a formal organization in 2001, they then add Uzbekistan as a founding member although it does not share a border with China

• SCO marked the first time ever that China take a leading role in creating a multilateral organization

• Beginning from 1998, SCO expanded their agenda to address the triple threats of EXTREMISM, SEPARATISM, TERRORISM