It seems that the countries in the region combined together could build a relatively powerful hegemony, but why haven't they act (or are acting, economically, behind the EU?) akin to the EU?
My first tackle at the case would be to see it as an economic and political problem. I believe that the imbalance of power in the region acts as a hindrance for economic integration (compare countries like Thailand with Cambodia; Cambodia is so dependant to Thailand that it can't act independently). Different economic policies in the region are also a hindrance: Singapore's free-trade vs Indonesia's import substitution. On top of that, there's a separation between maritime and mainland SEA, which creates an economic difference.
A further look into cultural issues seem important too; mainly in religion and country systems. Unlike the EU region that enjoys a more tolerant and educated population, the ASEAN region still has issues with religion intolerance (even in their own countries), so free labour movement within the region will be faced with animosity in some regions. The differences in political systems also add on to this (Indonesia's democracy vs Vietnam's single-party)
What is the Governments response towards China?
If a political/economical dispute or conflict rises between Thailand and China, even a minor one - do Thai people try to neutralize it or do they stand their ground and don't take any bs from China?
I'm asking, because I come from Lithuania and now building a life with my Thai SO. She's not into politics, but I come from a family and country which is very heavy on independence, sticking the middle finger to Russia and other aggressors, no matter how giant they are. I am under the impression that Thailand is a special place in Asia, because there are many things on the table that are going for the country. Minimum national debt to China means that China has to pay significant income taxes to the Thai government if the railway gets built... or at least the negotiation should be heavily in Thailand's favor.
So, now that we are getting really close to a mass genocide in Hong Kong, there will be a conflict in Asia. Where does the Thai government, populations and media stand on this at this moment in time?
Edit: I am asking this, because I have received offers to live and work in Bangkok. My concern is, corruption, racism, political turmoil and conflict resulting in a non-united front within Thailand. That compromises safety, and I don't want to be anywhere near that, now or the foreseeable future. I've been reading a lot of Western sources, including Statista, and it seems grim, especially with the newly elected government. What about your opinion?
Since the upside down flag fiasco, the Sepak Takraw walkout, and the hacking incidents, I feel like some of our neighbours feel very bitter towards us. Let's fight fire with water and say nice things about our neighbours.
The results of the EU Parliamentary elections was recently announced. The turnout was relatively high, the centrist parties of the status quo reeled, while the Greens, liberals and most especially the Euroskeptic far right gained seats. It is an interesting peek into the current European zeitgeist, and surely this is reflective of what most Europeans think about.
Now, I begin to wonder what would it be like to have something like that in this side of the world, an ASEAN Parliament.
Of course, this is a tall order, but here are my thoughts.
- Indonesia, with a population of 270 million, would have the most number of seats, followed by our country and Vietnam. (If someone can do the math regarding the number of seats, I'd like to know in the comments.)
- The seat of parliament could be located either in Bangkok (the ASEAN headquarters), Singapore, Jakarta or Bandung (for historical symbolism).
- Besides free trade, its most pressing concerns at the moment would be climate change, China, terrorism and the Rohingya crisis.
- I don't think political groupings would be prominent in this parliament like they do in the EU.
- However, I can imagine an Islamist party bloc in this parliament, albeit not as big as one might imagine due to the spectrum of opinion among Muslims (civil Islam vs Islamism vs Islamic nationalism).
- The populists (like Duterte) could try to form a bloc, but I think the divergent interests between the different parties would be a difficult obstacle to overcome.
- A Communist party bloc would also be prominent, due to Laos and Vietnam (which would have the 3rd largest possible number of seats), but it would not be as influential.
- Cambodia's seats would be Chinese seats by proxy, period.
- The Buddhist nationalists can try but would only succeed in Myanmar. Thailand is not playing that game.
- Who are the liberals and social democrats of ASEAN, besides our own Liberal Party and Akbayan? I have no idea.
Feel free to disagree, comment and share your thoughts about this idea.
Here it is if you guys are interested: https://sciencejohor.com/aycm2019/
I am currently researching a lot about the geopolitics in East Asia. The ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) is a similar project as the European Union and also has the goal to implement a common currency.
If realized it could become an important and strong new big power in East Asia or do you think differently about this? I projecting a kind of proxy war between China and the USA in East Asia in the near future, making the ASEAN a very important ally for either.
