SAARC can learn from ASEAN experience

SAARC can learn from ASEAN experience

Context

ASEAN has achieved the same level of peace and prosperity without going to war, as the Europeans did. At the same time there is no other region on Planet Earth that is so diverse.

Kishore Mahbubani’s latest book The ASEAN miracle advocates a Nobel peace prize for the regional grouping.

ASEAN a miracle 

• ASEAN has achieved the same level of peace and prosperity without going to war, as the Europeans did even with so much diversity
• When it was born in 1967, South East Asia was by far the most troubled place on earth. There were more bombs dropped in Indo-China (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) than all of Europe in World War II. And we overcame all that and created a community that is today so peaceful.

Divided on views but moving forward

• All ASEAN countries have different positions on US and China, but they make efforts for good relations with both.
• Some like Cambodia maybe more pro-China, Vietnam is more pro-America. But at the same time Vietnam’s number one trading partner is China. In 1979, the border between China and Vietnam had one million soldiers on each side confronting each other.

Steps to boost India-ASEAN relations

• The ASEAN-India relationship is not just 25 years, it’s a few thousand years old, and it is important that the leaders draw from the deep well of history to build ties
• Nine out of the ten ASEAN countries, all except Vietnam, have an Indian cultural base.
• The second thing to push for is more flights between ASEAN and Indian countries, to facilitate people to people exchanges. 

Regular meetings for SAARC

SAARC should consciously study ASEAN and build a habit of regular meetings at all levels.

Having regular meetings makes a huge difference to trust levels

Countering BRI

India must integrate Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives etc. so closely economically, that they will always have to consider India’s views.

Spend time together

It is important for leaders and officials of countries to spend time together, because that is an important way to understand our commonalities and to break down the animosities that two countries feel

Taking the backseat

• In addition, as the biggest country in the region, India should study Indonesia’s role in ASEAN. President Suharto was wise enough to say, we will let the smaller countries of ASEAN run the group, and took a backseat, and that is something India could try to do
• Maybe sometimes that group will take decisions you don’t like, but eventually the group will come closer together.