Jenina Joy Chavez │ Focus on the Global South Envisioning New South Asia: People’s Perspectives People’s SAARC Seminar Dhaka, Bangladesh │ January 2011 Regional Integration as a Response to Hegemony and the Crisis

Asia Update 3+ years of the economic crisis resulted in contraction of global output, and the contraction of incomes and employment, living standards across the world. Crisis did not hit the Asia region as much, for East Asia not in the same depth as the 1997 financial crisis 2010: estimated global output growth, 3.9%; for developing Asia, 8.4% Asia still hosts one of the most robust productive capacities Asia’s relative resilience in this crisis.

Asia Update (2) Slowdown in the North means that Asia will have to look for new ways to restart its growth. By 2010, many Asian FTAs came on stream: the ASEAN-China FTA, the ASEAN-Korea FTA, the ASEAN-India FTA, and the ASEAN-Japan CEPA. same arguments raised about global free trade hold true added dimension: agreements are negotiated and signed between countries where democratic practices are weak or non-existent.

Asia Update (3) Huge disparities within the region Unemployment: Best: 1.4% in Thailand and Bhutan Worst: 9.8% in Indonesia and 14.4% in the Maldives ASEAN has sharper income gaps than SAARC ASEAN, 66x: Brunei US$49,370 PPP vs Myanmar US$750 PPP SAARC, 6x: Afghanistan US$881 PPP vs the Maldives US$5,027 PPP SAARC has higher incidence of and deeper poverty, lower HDI ranks

Asia Update (4) Vulnerability to climate change Maldives, Philippines submersion India: 8 years of crop failure, debt, farmer suicides global land garb Pakistan: selling/leasing 400,000 has. of farmland to foreign investors Philippines: signed 19 MOAs with China for the use of one million has. of farmland Water Wars?

Why Regionalism? the commonality of regional experiences and problems the inadequacy of national action the failure of and the lack of democracy in global institutions the potential for bigger policy space the need to develop new centers of influence.

Key Dilemmas First, there must be a balance between nationalism and the need for regional solidarity. Second, in the same breadth, there is the need to temper sovereignty with shared responsibility. Third, regionalism can both be a defensive and an offensive too. It can be a shield, but it can also be a weapon – and the question is when to deploy this tool. Fourth, regionalism should evolve, from being a form of resistance, to becoming a platform for alternatives.

Areas for Regional Cooperation and Solidarity Regional Development: Regional Trade and Investment, Regional Development Finance (Resource Management), and Regional Development Policy Regional Social Policy: Regional rights, Regional redistribution, and Regional regulation Regional Governance Regional Solidarity and People’s Diplomacy People’s Security Regional Climate Strategy Regional Identity and Community-Building

Peoples’ Regionalism Long years of absence of scrutiny from civil society have resulted in a myriad of initiatives that regional citizens are now compelled to accept, and the negative impacts of which they have to suffer. It is important to engage regional institutions, to monitor and check what they are doing; and to demand that they do more to uplift regional social standards. Without popular support, regional initiatives will require a long socialization process, and will remain in the confines of official diplomacy.

Peoples’ Regionalism (2) We must reclaim and redefine regionalism: piercing the elitist diplomatic shell of regional associations and creating people spaces challenging the existing multilateral system and current integration models building movements of resistance, and for alternatives making it happen Our targets have regional manifestations too, and therefore, we have to give a regional expression to our aspirations