Short lecture by JC Bedar

 Governments, associations, societies and groups

form regional organization as a way of coping
with the challenges of globalization.
 Countries respond economically and politically
to globalization in various ways.
 Example: China offers cheap and huge workforce to
attract business and expand trade with other
countries while smaller countries like Singapore and
Switzerland turn themselves into a banking hub to
compensate for their lack of resources.
 In most cases, however, countries form regional
alliance to cope up with Globalization. As the
saying goes- there is strength in numbers.
 Countries form regional associations for several
reasons:
 Military defense and the best example is the NATO
(North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
 Countries also pool their resources to get better
returns for their exports as well as expand leverage
against their trading partners. An example is the
OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries).
 Some countries create regional blocs to protect
their independence from the pressure of
superpower politics. (NAM)
 Economic crisis compels crisis to come together
and create a regional organization.
 ASEAN
 NATO
 EU
 OPEC

 Discuss the history, purpose, members and the

policies of the above stated regional
organizations.
 It is not only states that agree to work
together in the name of their causes.
Communities or NGO’s can also form a
regional organization.
 Are regional organizations really necessary
for the development of a country?
 Are the regional organizations considered
also as a key element in globalization?
 What are the things we acquired or benefited
from the ASEAN?