LESSON 5 – A World of Regions

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Differentiate between regionalization and globalization;
2. Explain how regions are formed and kept together;
3. Discuss and advantages and disadvantages of regionalism; and
4. Identify the factors leading to a greater integration of the Asian region.

I. INTRODUCTION

Government, associations, societies, and groups form regional organizations and/or networks as a
way of coping with the challenges of globalization. Globalization has made people aware of the world in
general, but it has also made Filipinos more cognizant of specific areas such as Southeast Asia. How, for
instance, did the Philippines come to identify itself with the Southeast Asian region? Why is it part of a regional
grouping known as Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN).
While regionalism is often seen as a political and economic phenomenon, the term actually
encompasses a broader area. It can be examined in relation to identities, ethics, religion, ecological
sustainability, and health. Regionalism is also a process, and must be treated as an “emergent, socially
constituted phenomenon. It means that regions are not natural or given; rather, they are constructed and
defined by policymakers, economic actors, and even social movements.
This lesson will look at regions as political entities and examine what brings them together as they
interlock with globalization. The other facets of regionalism will then be explored. Especially this that pertain
to identities, ethics, religion ecological sustainability, and health. The lesson will conclude by asking where
all these regionalism are bringing us as members of a nation and as citizens of the world.

II. Countries, Regions, and Globalization

What is regions? Mansfield and Milner

● “Located in the same geographical specified area” or are “an amalgamation of two regions [or] a
combination of more than two regions” organized to regulate and “oversee flows and policy
choices.”
● The words regionalization and regionalism should not be interchanged, as the former refers to the
“regional concentration of economic flows” while the latter is a “a political process characterized by
economic policy cooperation and coordination among countries.”

Countries respond economically and politically to globalization in various ways. Some are large enough
and have a lot of resources to dictate how they participate in processes of global integration. China, for
example, offers its cheap and huge workforce to attract foreign businesses and expand trade with countries
it once considered its enemies but now sees as markets for its goods (e.g., the United States and Japan).
Other countries make up for their small size by taking advantage of their strategic location. Singapore and
Switzerland compensate for their lack of resources by turning themselves into financial and banking hubs.
Singapore developed its harbor facilities and made them a first-class transit port for ships carrying different
commodities from Africa, Europe, and Middle East, and mainland Southeast Asia to countries in the Asia-
Pacific. In most cases, however, countries form a regional alliance for – as the saying goes – there is strength
in numbers.

Countries form regional associations for several reasons:

1. Military defense – the most widely known defense grouping is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) formed during a Cold War when several Western European countries plus the United States
agreed to protect Europe against the threat of the Communism.
2. Pool their resources – get better returns to their exports, as well as expand their leverage against
trading partners. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) see on lesson 2. This
regional alliance flexed its muscles in the 1970s when its member countries took over domestic
production and dictate crude oil prices in the world highly dependent on oil, this integration became
a source of immense power. OPEC’s success convinced nine other oil-producing countries join it.
3. Protect their independence from the pressures of superpower politics – the presidents Egypt,
Ghana, India, Indonesia, and Yugoslavia created the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to pursue world
peace and international cooperation, human rights, national sovereignty, racial and national equality,
non-intervention, and peaceful conflict resolution.
4. Economic crisis compels countries to come together – the Thai economy collapsed in 1996
after foreign currency speculators and troubled international banks demanded that the Thai
government pay back loans. A rapid withdrawal of foreign investments bankrupted the economy.
This crisis began to spread to other Asian countries as their currencies were also devalued and
foreign investments left in a hurry. The IMG tried to reverse the crisis, but it was only after the ASEAN
countries along with China, Japan, and South Korea agreed to establish an emergency fund to
anticipate a crisis that the Asian economies stabilized.

It is not only states that agree to work together in the name of a single cause (causes). Communities also
engage in regional organizing and they called as New regionalism or Non-State Regionalism (NR).
This “new regionalism” (NR) varies in form:
● They can be “tiny associations that include no more than a few actors and focus on single issue
● Or huge continental unions that address a multitude of common problems from territorial defense to
food security
● Organizations representing this “new regionalism” likewise rely on the power of individuals, non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), and associations to link up with one another in pursuit of a
particular goal (or goals).
● It is identified with reformists who share the same “values, norms, institutions, and system that exist
outside of the traditional, established mainstream institutions and systems.”

Strategies and tactics of NR in pressuring the government to make a laws or create agencies in a particular
social issues.
1. Partner with governments to initiate social change. “legitimizers” – ASEAN issued Human Rights
Declaration in 2009.
Pressure: NGO’s and civil society groups pushing to “prevent discrimination, uphold political
freedom, and
promote democracy and human rights throughout the region
Result: ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights
 2. Other regional organizations dedicate themselves to specialized causes. Activists across Central
and South America established the Rainforest Foundation to protect indigenous peoples and the
rainforests in Brazil, Guyana, Panama, and Peru.
● Young Christians across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and the Caribbean
formed Regional Interfaith Youth Networks to promote” conflict prevention, resolution, peace
education, and sustainable development.
● The migrant Forum in Asia is another regional network of NGOs and trade unions “committed
to protect [ing] the rights and welfare of migrant workers.”

These organizations’ primary power lies in their moral standing and their ability to combine lobbying
with pressure politics. Unfortunately, most of them are poorly financed, which places them at a disadvantage
when dealing with their official counterparts who have large state funds. Their impact in global politics is,
therefore limited.

III. Present Challenges to Regionalism

Today, regionalism faces multiple challenges, the most serious of which is the resurgence of militant
nationalism and populism.
▪ Problems in NATO - the refusal to dismantle NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union, for
example, has become the basis of the anti-NATO rhetoric of Vladimir Putin in Russia. Now, even the
relationship of the United States – the alliance’s core member – with NATO has become problematic
after Donald Trump demonized the organization as simply leeching off American military power
without giving anything return.
▪ Problems in EU – the continuing financial crisis of the region is forcing countries like Greece to
consider leaving the Union to gain more flexibility in their economic policy. Anti-immigrant sentiment
and a populist campaign against Europe have already led to the United Kingdom voting to leave the
European Union in a move the media has termed the “Brexit”.
▪ Problems in ASEAN – ASEAN members continue to disagree over the extend to which members
countries should sacrifice their sovereignty for the sake of regional stability. The Association’s link
with East Asia has also been problematic. Recently, ASEAN countries also disagreed over how to
relate to China, with the Philippines unable to get the other countries to support its condemnation of
China’s occupation of West Philippine Sea. Cambodia and Laos led the opposition favoring
diplomacy increase of Chinese investments and economic aid to these countries. Moreover, when
some formerly authoritarian countries democratized, this “participatory regionalism” clashed with
ASEAN’s policy of non-interference, as civil society groups in Indonesia, the Philippines, and
Thailand demanded that the other countries democratized adopt a more open attitude towards
foreign criticism.
▪ The contradicting views of western and non-western countries– western governments may see
regional organizations not simply as economic formations but also as instruments of political
democratization. Non-Western and developing societies, however, may have different view
regarding globalization, development, and democracy. Singapore, China, and Russia see
democracy as on obstacle to the implementation and deepening of economic globalization because
constant public inquiry about economic projects and lengthy debate slow down implementation or
lead to unclear outcomes. Democracy’s tedious procedures must, therefore, give way efficiency.

IV. CONCLUSION
 Official regional associations now cover vast swaths of the world. The population of the countries
that joined the Asia Pacific Economic Council (APEC) alone comprised 37 percent of the world’s population
in 2007. These countries are also part of “smaller” organizations that include the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the
Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, and the Union of South American Nations. Even “isolationist” North
Korea is part of the Regional Forum, which discusses security issues in the region.
In the same way the countries will find it difficult to reject all forms of global economic integration, it
will also be hard for them to turn their backs on their regions. Even if the UK leaves the EU, it must continue
to trade with its immediate neighbors and will, therefore, be forced to implement many EU rules. None of this
is to say that regional organizations will remain unaltered. The history of regionalism shows that regional
associations emerge as new global concerns arise. The future of regionalism will be contingent on the
immense changes in global politics that will emerge in the 21 st century.

References:

Claudio L & Abinales P., (2018), The Contemporary World C & E Publishing, Inc., 839 EDSA, South
Triangle, Quezon City.

Aldama P., (2018), The Contemporary World, Rex Book Store, Inc., Sampalok, Manila

Peterson Institute for economics (2018). What is Globalization? Retrieved from

https://www.piie.com/microsites/globalization/what-is-globalization on May 28, 2020