Lesson 5 A World of Regions

LESSON 5 A WORLD of REGIONS
Regionalism
- It can be examined in relation to identities, ethics, religion, ecological
sustainability, and health.
- It is a process, and must be treated as an “emergent, socially constituted
phenomenon.”
- Regions are not natural or given; rather, they are constructed and defined by
policymakers, economic actors, and even social movements.
- How did the Philippines come to identify itself with the Southeast Asian region?
- Why is it part of the regional group Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN)? Countries, Regions, and Globalization
1.Regions
- A group of countries located in the same geographically specified area; or
- “An amalgamation of 2 regions (or) a combination of more than 2 regions”
organized to regulate and “oversee flows and policy choices.”
2. Regionalization
- “Regional concentration of economic flows”
3.Regionalism
- “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.
- Other countries make up their small size by taking advantage of their
strategic location. In most cases, however, countries form a regional
alliance.
Countries form regional associations for several reasons:
For military defense
Ex: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); Warsaw Pact
To pool their resources, get better return for their exports as well as expand their
leverage against trading partners
Ex: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
To protect their independence from the pressures of superpower politics\
Ex: Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
Economic Crisis
Ex: Thai economy collapsed in 1996
Non-State Regionalism
- This “new regionalism” varies in form. They can be:
- “Ttiny associations that include no more than a few actors and focus on a single
issue”; or
- “Huge continental unions that address a multitude of common problems from
territorial defense to food security.”
- Rely on the power of individuals, NGOs, and associations to link up with one
another in pursuit of a particular goal(s).
- 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 also vary:
Some organizations partner with governments to initiate social change. Those
who work with governments (“legitimizers”) participate in “institutional
mechanisms that afford some civil society groups voice and influence (in)
technocratic policy-making processes.”
Ex: ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights
Others dedicate their causes to specialized causes.
Ex: Rainforest Foundation
Regional Interfaith Youth Networks

- New regionalism differs significantly from traditional state-to-state regionalism
when it comes to identifying problems.
- Ex: Treatment of poverty and environmental degradation
- Another challenge for new regionalist is the discord that may emerge among
them. - Ex: Gender and religion
Contemporary Challenges to Regionalism
Regionalism faces multiple challenges:
Resurgence of militant nationalism and populism
The most serious
Ex: the refusal to dismantle NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union has
become the basis of the anti-NATO rhetoric of Vladimir Putin in Russia.
Continuing financial crisis
Most-crisis-ridden
Ex: The crisis experiencing by the EU is forcing countries like Greece to consider
leaving the Union to gain more flexibility in their economic policy.
Continue to disagree over the extent to which member countries should sacrifice
their sovereignty for the sake of regional stability
Ex: ASEAN countries 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 the West Philippine Sea.
Differing visions of what regionalism should be for
Western governments see regional organizations not simply as economic
formations but also as instruments of political democratization.
Non-western and developing societies, however, may have a different view
regarding globalization, development, and democracy.
Conclusions
Official regional associations cover vast swaths of the world.
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.
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 21st century.

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LESSON 5 A WORLD of REGIONS

Regional Interfaith Youth Networks

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