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Amitav Acharya
Department of Political Science
National University of Singapore
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I. Introduction
"regional security" in the Third World to the post -Cold War security
War. Indeed, the post-Cold War era owes much to the Soviet acceptance
the Third World have emerged as the chief threat to international order
in the post-Cold War era. Thier high incidence contrasts sharply with
the Third World is emerging as a key feature of the post -Cold War
ways of ensuring it? For much of the post -Second World War period,
security analysis is yet to break free from the Cold War paradigm which
the idea of "regional subsystems", was not only too broad a categ ory,
but might have strengthened the system -dominant view (since a regional
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system). Against this backdrop, Barry Buzan's concept of "regional
complex" offers the necessary criteria for its self -definition which
rather than general and systemic factors shaping the nature of the
of:
"local sets of states exist whose major security perceptions and
concerns link together sufficiently closely that their national
security perceptions cannot realisitically be considered apart
from one another...This name has the advantage of indicating both
the character of the attribute that defines the set (security),
and the notion of intense interdependence that distinguishes any
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particular set from its neighbours."
amity and enemity among the actors, but the latter usually is the more
shared interests".
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Using such a criteria, one could discern a number of region al
security complexes that have emerged in the Third World in the past
two decades. In South Asia, the India -Pakistan rivalry defines the
which is felt mutually among two or more major states", then their very
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perceptions", there remains at least the possibility that such
League, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab Maghreb Union within
within the Southern African complex and the Contadora group within the
On the one hand, as Buzan and Ayoob have noted, quite a few of these
rival actor/s and reducing the conflict within their own membership.
The ASEAN, the GCC and the OFLS are good examples of such arrangements.
On the other hand, there are others which help to moderate and reduce
the rivalry within the complex. They help actors to actors to regulate
the South Asian Association for Region al Cooperation are good examples
identify the elements of, and approaches to, stability and cooperation
complex. The second part of the paper discusses some of the key
should not be confused with it). To borrow from Zartman, if a regi onal
condition where change at one point of the system affects other points
most Third World states, regime survival also becomes an integral part
determined by the degree to which both the core and the regime values
on the recognition and acceptance of the core and regime values of one
warfare within the region. This could lead them to manage disputes and
defines the lines of rivalry within the complex. But threats could
emanate from the internal level within a state and carry a high
due to their quest for autonomy from the colonial order. Early forms
of Third World regionalism was closely intertwined with the demand for
is viewed not so much in terms of sheilding the region from all outside
latter so that its nature and scope is det ermined in accordance with
with outside actors if the payoffs are real and substantial, and
that are not within the realm of acceptability, but the regional
negative and positive notions of autonomy are two sides of the same
that takes into account the interests of all the actors participating
in the regional complex. The need to perform these tasks also forms
guarantees offered by the Great Powers. In the 1960s and 1970s, the
declining Soviet support for clients like Vietnam, Libya and Nicaragua
of Cold War alliances. When the United States and the Soviet Union
clients in the Third World, this was met with rejection from those
(mainly members of the Non-Aligned Movement) who claimed that such Cold
Cold War alliances were rejected for disguising the domination of the
this view, would not make a real contribution to the security of the
Although the end of the Cold War diminishes the appea l of such
complexes.
threat perceptions, and quest for auton omy are some of the crucial
of major security comple xes in the Third World, at least five major
with a view to moderate the central rivalry within the complex. In case
arrangements.
1. Intra-regional conflict-control
revolves around the goal of providing a forum for the control of the
settlement of disputes within ASEAN and GCC has never been called into
action.
Indochinese states in the 1970s and 198 0s, undermined its credentials
even where formal institutions and procedure for conflict -control are
recognize that the costs of rivalry may exceed its benefits. The CSCE
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is a good example of a real-life security regime. Its role in
Third World regional security complexes can not be taken for granted.
security complexes.
can be resolved. Yet, history shows that many conflicts in the Third
World are protracted for which no quick and legal solutions can be
other bodies, including the UN. Security regime may play an useful role
the purpose frequently lack the resources, both human and material,
the latter). Regional actors may lack the motivation and objectivity
understand the factual backgro und of a conflict and to share the norms
xxi
that are relevant to the task of controlling the conflict". However,
out, "...in many instances the people of a particular region are less
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well-equipped than outsiders to settle their own differences".
to be intense in terms of the violence they generated than the UN. This
recently, regional groups have come to compete with the U.N in terms
2. Regime Maintenance
blocs within a complex, and hence are more suited to the goal of
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security milieu of Third World countries. Most Third World sta tes are
structures, or the lack of a close fit between the state and nation.
rules of governance. The narrow base of t heir regimes and the various
policy of the Third World states is defined and conducted. Given the
within and without, their instinct for self -preservation often takes
the remaining actors and the latter may respond with hostility. Iranian
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and Iraqi hostility towards Kuwa it and Saudi Arabia resulted partly
party. In recent case where this has taken place, conflict -resolution
has not been successful. For example, ASEAN and GCC sought to manage
Cambodia and Iran-Iraq war, but their very existance reflected the
On the other hand, as the case of ASEAN and GCC reveals, regime
vis-a-vis the dominant actor, and provides the basis for creating
conflict-control.
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Third World "regional influential" such as the Saudi Arab ia, Iran and
The essential question facing such complexes is: how to ensure that
the security interests and objectives of the strong and the weak
Such regionalism must seek to develop "a consensus re garding the role
on its policy towards neighbours may be the incentive needed for the
other members can rally for leadership and protection; or, if the new
against it. "Large states are often inclined to deal bilaterally with
in a regional group like SAARC would dilute the leverage it can have
xxviii
by dealing with its neighbours individually. But in other cases,
example of this equation. The position of Saudi Arabia within the GCC
members and the failure of the gro up to develop appropriate norms for
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Latin America.
the Cold War period, many regional security complexes now fac e the
could be the likely direction for the members of ASEAN and GCC in their
Autonomy need not imply expulsion of outside actors from the region;
Third World states in view of their colonial past and their fear of
against the most pressing security threats facing the Third World
Great Powers has fuelled the trend towards self -reliance and autonomy
security commitments.
members with external security guarantees. The ASEAN and GCC and SAARC
and arms control measures such as nuclear free zones, have been more
common.
Freedom and Neutrality proposed by the ASEAN and the Indian Ocean Zone
of Peace proposed by the littoral states of the Indian Ocean are good
intransigence.
can not be uniform, some fall into the categories of gu arantors, some
outside powers which may be per suaded to sign agreements daclaring the
and the strength of adversaries. While the trend in the Third World
5. Collective Defence
alliances, such as the case of the GCC within the Persian Gulf
auspices of the OAS and role of ECOWAS within the West African complex
War regional conflicts could well produce examples in the near future,
The GCC within the Gulf sub-complex and the OECS within the Caribbean
with the threat. The members of ASEAN and the OFLS for example keep
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their military cooperation informal and mostly bilateral.
deemed useless in the Third World because the latter are not only weak
threats are the more likely forms of conflict and instability in the
IV. Conclusion
regime and regional security, and finally their desire for identity
the Third World. These relate to motivation of the regional actors and
system.
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NOTES
i. For a analysis of regional security as a "stepping stone" to
international order, see: Lynn Miller, "The Prospect for Order through
Regional Security", in Richard A. Falk and Saul H. Mendlovitz, Regional
Politics and World Order (San Fransisco, W.H. Freeman, 1973),pp.
50-77. The early-post war discussion of regional security was heavily
centred on the security role of regional organisations. See, Inis
Claude, Swords into Plowshares (New York: Random House, 1964);; Ellen
Frei-Wouters, "The Prospect for Regionalism in World Affairs, in
Richard A. Falk and Cyril E. Black, The future of International Legal
Order (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969);A. P. Rana,
"Regionalism as an Approach to International Order", International
Studies, vol.18, no.4 (October-December 1979),pp. 491-536.
iii. For the theory of regional subsystems, see Louis J. Cantori and
Steven L. Spiegel, The International Politics of Regions: A
Comparative Approach (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1970); William
R. Thompson, "The Regional Subsystem: Conceptual Explication and
Propositional Inventory", International Studies Quarterley , vol. 17,
no.1 (March 1973),pp. 89 -118
xi. Edward Azar and Chung-in Moon, National Security in the Third
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xv. Karl Deutsch et al. Political Community in the North American Area
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1957), p.2
xvi. See Noordin Sopiee "ASEAN and Regional Security" in Ayoob, ed.
Regional Security in the Third World , pp. 221-31; Amitav Acharya,
"Association of Southeast Asian Nations: "`Security Community' or
`Defence Community?", Pacific Affairs, (1991) forthcoming
xx. David Dewitt and Gabriel Ben Dor, "Conflict and Conflict Management
in the Middle East", in David Dewitt and Gabriel Ben Dor eds., Conflict
36
xxviii .As a prominent Nepalese scholar puts it: India's size and
overwhelming impact on South Asia, and the necessity of its
participation in any regional grouping tend to be mutually exclusive",
Lok Raj Baral, "SARC, But No "Shark": South Asian Regional Cooperation
in Perspective", Pacific Affairs, Vol 58, No. 3 (Fall 1985), p. 422.
xxx. See Amitav Acharya, "The Gulf Cooperation Council and Security:
Dillemas of Dependence", Middle East Strategic Studies Quarterle y,
vol.1 no.2 (1989), pp. 88-136 ; "Regional Military-Security
Cooperation in the Third World", Journal of Peace Research,
forthcoming