5.7 Practitioners’ Perspectives on ASEAN Cooperation against TOC

5.7

Practitioners’ Perspectives on ASEAN Cooperation Against TOC

Some Thai practitioners were asked to evaluate whether security cooperation in the ASEAN context is effective and successful or still at an initial stage. The vast majority stated that the ASEAN system is still at a ‘lowest common denominator’ stage and recalled that their security cooperation with non-ASEAN countries such as the United States, Australia and Japan is still much closer than their cooperation with ASEAN member states. A cohesive system of regional cooperation has not yet been achieved, for both practical and cultural reasons. For example, the implementation of the ASEAN MLAT is a lengthy process. The least developed ASEAN member states do not have the capacity to engage in such coordination, while the most developed ones do not want to be burdened by members who have a more limited capacity. From a cultural perspective, stakeholders emphasized that there is still a huge lack of trust and a strong reluctance to work together on concrete goals. The issue of sovereignty is particularly sensitive and needs to be handled organically. As a result of the intergovernmental nature of ASEAN (as opposed to the supranational example of the European Union), ASEAN bodies such as the AMMTC and SOMTC do not have full authority to take concrete action. This element, coupled with differences in the national agendas, prevents Member States from integrating their efforts to combat TOC as a ‘regional single force’, resulting in coordination on a bilateral basis where common interests are at stake.

Nevertheless, some professionals expressed confidence in the progress that ASEAN Vision 2025 will foster. They noted that ASEAN member states have collaborated with one another in elaborating and committing to the implementation of this new Vision, which includes a strategy to increase capacity in efficiently addressing non-traditional security issues. Whether this agenda will be coherently promoted or not depends on the alignment of national priorities. The effectiveness of regional cooperation varies greatly depending on the type of crime addressed. For instance, while efficient cooperative relations characterise the fight against drug and trafficking in persons, countries in the region attach different degrees of importance to combating environmental crimes.