Relations internationales



C13(c) - Global Politics in the Indo-Pacific

Date: Jun 13 | Heure: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Salle: Zoom (see details/voir détails)

Chair/Président/Présidente : Shaun Narine (St. Thomas University)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Shaun Narine (St. Thomas University)

Zoom Meeting Link | Meeting ID : 859 4381 8283

A Study of the Disparity of the Regional Integration Model of the EU and ASEAN: From the Perspective of ASEAN: Rogie Nichole Aquino (Colegio de San Juan de Letran)
Abstract: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continues to progress as an emerging regional organization capable of changing the flow of the modern foreign policy world, this paper aims to analyze the relevance of the European Union’s ‘normative power’ and regional integration model to the past, present, and future strategies of ASEAN particularly in its three (3) central pillars: the Political – Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural. Through the lens of social constructivism, state-preference theory, and liberal intergovernmentalism, regional integration and normative power have been defined through a multifaceted approach suited to both the EU and ASEAN. The paper primarily aims to assess the relationship between the two regional organizations and establish a concrete analysis of how they influence one another in terms of their existing and future policies and norms. Secondly, it aims to identify the similarities and hindrances in having full integration of the so-called EU normative power and integration model. In this paper, the historical, security-political, economic, and socio-cultural factors will be studied to answer the research question involving the ASEAN and the EU. Interviews were also done with experts from the ASEAN Headquarters since the main focus of the paper is to establish clarity from the perspective of ASEAN. As these important integration aspects were studied, differences between the regional focus of the two organizations were carefully singled out to establish a concrete explanation in terms of the integration disparity between the two. In a regional organization like ASEAN, cooperation, and trade agreements among Member States are often enough for it to establish sustainability. However, based on the data and analysis of this paper, in order for ASEAN to prosper, there are rigorous steps and mechanisms that it needs to implement, not necessarily to become like the EU, but to establish its own model and ‘regional power’.


The ‘Neglected’ Indian Ocean: Examining Maritime Security Challenges for Canada: Vandana Bhatia (Sheridan College)
Abstract: Despite Canada's active involvement in humanitarian and coalition missions spanning from East Africa to Southeast Asia, there is a striking absence of comprehensive conceptualization of the IO within the Canadian discourse. Existing references often fragment the region into its sub-regions such as the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and now, the broader Indo-Pacific region. This paper proposal seeks to address a significant gap in the Canadian literature concerning the Indian Ocean (IO) region. While some Canadian scholars have emphasized the strategic importance of the IO, there remains a critical dearth of in-depth research that assesses the implications of maritime security challenges in the IO for Canada. This is particularly pertinent as geostrategic dynamics within the IO region continue to evolve, and transnational maritime threats are on the rise. This proposed paper aims to shed light on this underexplored topic, with a focus on two key objectives: first, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Indian Ocean region as a whole, considering its geopolitical, economic, and security dimensions; second, to outline the strategic imperatives for Canada in formulating a coherent policy to effectively address and mitigate the security challenges emanating from this dynamic and vital part of the world. Through a multidisciplinary approach that draws on geopolitics, international relations, and maritime security studies, this paper seeks to contribute to the development of a nuanced and informed Canadian perspective on the IO, fostering the formulation of policies that are responsive to the evolving security landscape of this strategically significant region.


Rearticulating Regionalism in the “New Cold War”: the De/re-securitization of Taiwan’s Southward Policies: Szu-Yun Hsu (McMaster University)
Abstract: The entanglement of geopolitics and geoeconomics has largely defined the contemporary era marked as the “great power rivalry” or the “new Cold War.” Against such a backdrop, there has been reviving scholarly interest in the intersection of regionalism, trade, and security agenda, especially regarding the growing strategic importance of Asia in the global political economy and global politics. Drawing on critical geopolitics, geoeconomics, and hegemony theory, this paper investigates Taiwan’s (re)articulation of regionalism on the “South” as a case in point. It first examines Taiwan’s Southward policies proposed by different regimes since the 1990s: the two waves of Southward Policies under the KMT regime in the 1990s, the New Southward Policy under the DPP regime in the 2000s, and the modification of the New Southward Policy since the DPP resumed power in 2016. Second, it situates the evolution of such regionalist proposals in the hegemonic transition of the Taiwanese state vis-à-vis broader geopolitical and geoeconomic dynamics. By doing so, the paper explicates how the conjunctural articulation of accumulation and legitimacy crises shaped the trajectory of Taiwan’s policies on regionalism. This paper contends that the evolution of the Southward Policies in Taiwan, including its latest pivot to the U.S. “Indo-Pacific” Strategy, demonstrates the process of “de/re-securitization.” The paper also seeks to contribute to the critical scholarship on geopolitics and geopolitical economy at large.