Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2007. / Thesis Advisor(s): Michael Malley, Alice L. Miller. "June 2007." Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-82). Also available in print.

The thesis deals with the analysis of the Indonesian economy and subsequently the bilateral relationship between the European Union and Indonesia. Firstly, it analyses the demographic and economic situation in Indonesia, afterwards it focuses on the economic development supplemented with the analyze of the contemporary Indonesian economy. The international Indonesia politics is researched in the next chapter as well, with the deep view into the ASEAN as the most important international organization for the countries in south-east Asia. The thesis emphasizes the bilateral relationships between the EU and Indonesia in the last part and it also tries to find some perspectives of further cooperation leading to the intensification of the Indonesian transport to the EU.

The main question in this research project is whether regional integration promotes the rule of law in ASEAN. The thesis has adopted a functional, rather than conceptual, approach to understanding the rule of law and its development in regional integration. While the approach reflects an instrumentalist function of the rule of law, the study provides a holistic and interdisciplinary approach taking account of the legal, insitutional, and political processes in the state, the region, and international relations to show the motivations and interests of member states in adopting a peculiar type of regional arrangement. The research project has taken the European Union for comparison, not as a model in the strict sense, to identify the development of legal and institutional processes that build the foundation of the rule of law and the factors that drive the evolution of state-like constitutionalism. Common legal tradition of the rule of law, leadership role of key member states, and regional institution building ??? are the main processes in the development of the rule of law in the EU and are either lacking, different, or weak in the context of ASEAN. However, an evolving form of the rule of law exists in ASEAN. The rule of law in ASEAN integration is designed to provide a stable and coherent framework for interstate relations among member states and to achieve effective implementation of the member states??? economic commitments. ASEAN has adopted an instrumentalist conception of the rule of law and one based on ???thin??? constitutionalism, as reflected in the ASEAN Charter. The features of the rule of law in ASEAN are ??? state-controlled, limited, evolutionary and resting on soft legal regime. ASEAN has chosen a different path at regional integration and globalization has offered new techniques of the rule of law. Regionalism in ASEAN remains statist in character and the ASEAN Way is still entrenched. There are significant developments towards adopting a broader basis of regional cooperation and opportunities for developing the rule of law in ASEAN. To broaden the function of the rule of law in regional integration, as a mechanism of accountability and as a form or restraint, ASEAN needs to adopt initiatives aimed at expanding political participation and respect for human rights. The European Union offer points of learning for ASEAN in achieving a broader function for the rule of law in ASEAN integration.

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Trade Integration between China and ASEAN, which is behind North American Free Trade Agreement and European Union. It will become the third largest economy in the world. The prupose of this study tries to look for ¡§substantial¡¨ strategies and methods of China-ASEAN free trade area between China and ASEAN. In the conclusion, this study discovers China-ASEAN free trade area is an important tool for China, because of China could use it achieving regional stability, resource strategies, South-West development, and connection of East Asia integration. In process of trade integration, China not only adds trade and investment in Southeast Asia, but also provides economic assistance and joins ASEAN plus one. To came to China¡¦s WinWin pruposes.

There often exists a skepticism regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of ASEAN tourism collaboration. The competitive nature of tourism, and the development gap between less-developed and developed member countries are some of the reasons ASEAN tourism is little more than a political gesture to the skeptics. In reality, the collaboration is slow-moving. Little is known about its mechanism let alone ways to improve it. Despite the continuous cooperative endeavor among the member nations since 1998 and the significant economic contribution tourism makes in the region, the ASEAN tourism phenomenon receives little attention from researchers. Hence, this research aims to answer two questions: (1) How do ASEAN countries collaborate in tourism? (2) What can be done to improve the collaboration? This research adopts a case study approach. It involves the formulation of theoretical propositions based on literature in political science and behavioral science. Primary data were collected from key stakeholders of ASEAN tourism by means of in-depth interviews. A total of twenty-one individuals participated. They represented nine out of the ten member governments, international organizations, industry associations, the academia, and consultancies. During the final stage of the research, congruence and discrepancies between the theoretical propositions and the empirical findings were identified, and a model of ASEAN tourism collaboration was constructed. One of the key findings is a recipe for success in intergovernmental tourism collaboration. It was found that three categories of factors facilitate ASEAN tourism collaboration and its implementation of policies: stakeholders ? especially the political will and commitment of national leaders; resources ? the technical and financial assistance provided by ASEAN dialogue partners; and cooperation management ? a flexible and ?conservative progressive? approach with a strong monitoring and evaluation mechanism. The contribution of this study is threefold. First, it fills an empirical gap by investigating a little yet known phenomenon that is politically and economically significant. Second, it contributes to theory development by extending the contextual boundaries of existing theories in intergovernmental collaboration. Finally, it provides directional and pragmatic policy recommendations on how to facilitate the collaborative process and on how to eliminate barriers to implementing the ASEAN Tourism Agreement.

During the Cold War, the world was dominated by two superpowers. In Eastern Asian, China and ASEAN members all had to choose to be close partners of each opposite group. Along with the rising of Japanese economy, the developing of glorious Asian Four Tigers, the democratizing of countries belonging to the Warsaw Treaty and the collapsing of the former Soviet Union, the world military powers have no longer fought against each other, and the force of economic development, replacing armaments expansion, has spread its area. The successful case of economic integration in Europe has spilled outwards its influence and has offered a pathway of rethinking for ASEAN and China to be integrated thanks to their close location. Owing to the forming of ASEAN on the 8th August 1967, in 1980s the growth rates of ASEAN economics have been maintained at around 8 percent. This successive strong growth for many years was such an outstanding performance, comparing to other economic areas around the world, and it has increasingly made people there rich and that Southeast Asia an area of vigorous economic development. Meanwhile, after the Third National Convention in November 1978, the economic system of China has taken revolutionary changes and opened up the Chinese economy to the outside world. Then, after Deng Xiaoping visited the southern China in 1992, China gave up the arguments whether taking capitalism or maintaining socialism, and therefore its economy has became a huge dragon to be an important focus of ASEAN. Since then, the trade relationship between China and ASEAN has been interacting more frequently than ever before. Although the financial crisis was spread in ASEAN in 1997, currencies of those countries were devalued dramatically and it influenced, therefore, their economic growths extremely. However, during this crisis, China government announced strongly that Renminbi would not devalue for sure, and this currency strategy helped ASEAN escape from the financial crisis quickly. After that period, the Dialogue of Ten plus Three has accelerated the economic integration of China and ASEAN. After the Cold War, economic strength of area is one of the main features of power that help a nation to compete with others around world. In 1990s, due to the close location and rapid economic development of ASEAN and China, the trade, investment and co-operation between two sides have been increasing at a high speed. The purpose of this research is to explore, from the perspective of Neo- function-overflow theory, whether China and ASEAN have had on the way to area integration.

¡§¡Kcommerce and manufactures gradually introduced order and good government and with them, the liberty and security of individuals, among the inhabitants of the country, who had before lived in a continual state of war with their neighbors, and of servile dependency upon their superiors. This though the least observe is by far the most important of all their effects.¡¨ Adam Smith in his classic ¡§Wealth of Nations¡¨ amply sets the tone of this paper on China-ASEAN relations. Significant domestic developments in individual Southeast Asian states have brought about new political, economic and social challenges that necessarily impact on the stability of the entire region. In general, Southeast Asia remains beset with widening economic and social inequities, unresolved political conflicts as well as growing ethnic tensions, compounded by threats of terrorism and other transnational crimes. At the same time, however, Southeast Asian nations have moved toward greater cooperation under the ASEAN. The researcher¡¦s motivation for undertaking this research topic is due to the fact that China-ASEAN economic relations is an area of considerable yet remains poorly understood, it was very fitting for her to embark into a study that will take a closer look of the evolving relations and implications to the Philippines since the researcher is a citizen of the country which is an original charter member of the ASEAN. The study was an assessment of the China-ASEAN cooperation and its implications to the Philippines. The paper is preceded by a hypothesis that¡X¡§The better the level of relationship is between China and the ASEAN as a regional block, the better the chances for China and the Philippines to enhance not only its traditional relationship in bilateral trade and investments, but also the more contentious issue of amicably resolving the South China Sea conflict, more specifically, the Kalayaan Group of Islands or Spratlys.¡¨ The researcher used both descriptive and analytical approach for the study. The three data sources of the study were document analyses, interview of key informants and focused group discussions. The inputs were taken from the results of the document analyses and the interview of key informants. The China-ASEAN relations are characterized as economic cooperation at first hand. Such relationship has evolved through the years from economic to other non-traditional areas of cooperation like security and conflict resolutions. Joint agreements are signed between ASEAN member states and China with regard to increased trade and settlement of political issues and disputes. The Philippines as a member state was able to optimize its gains in the China-ASEAN relations with the increase in bilateral trade and investments. Undoubtedly the subsequent deepening of engagement between China and the Philippines is mutually beneficial to the two countries national interests.

There often exists a skepticism regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of ASEAN tourism collaboration. The competitive nature of tourism, and the development gap between less-developed and developed member countries are some of the reasons ASEAN tourism is little more than a political gesture to the skeptics. In reality, the collaboration is slow-moving. Little is known about its mechanism let alone ways to improve it. Despite the continuous cooperative endeavor among the member nations since 1998 and the significant economic contribution tourism makes in the region, the ASEAN tourism phenomenon receives little attention from researchers. Hence, this research aims to answer two questions: (1) How do ASEAN countries collaborate in tourism? (2) What can be done to improve the collaboration? This research adopts a case study approach. It involves the formulation of theoretical propositions based on literature in political science and behavioral science. Primary data were collected from key stakeholders of ASEAN tourism by means of in-depth interviews. A total of twenty-one individuals participated. They represented nine out of the ten member governments, international organizations, industry associations, the academia, and consultancies. During the final stage of the research, congruence and discrepancies between the theoretical propositions and the empirical findings were identified, and a model of ASEAN tourism collaboration was constructed. One of the key findings is a recipe for success in intergovernmental tourism collaboration. It was found that three categories of factors facilitate ASEAN tourism collaboration and its implementation of policies: stakeholders ? especially the political will and commitment of national leaders; resources ? the technical and financial assistance provided by ASEAN dialogue partners; and cooperation management ? a flexible and ?conservative progressive? approach with a strong monitoring and evaluation mechanism. The contribution of this study is threefold. First, it fills an empirical gap by investigating a little yet known phenomenon that is politically and economically significant. Second, it contributes to theory development by extending the contextual boundaries of existing theories in intergovernmental collaboration. Finally, it provides directional and pragmatic policy recommendations on how to facilitate the collaborative process and on how to eliminate barriers to implementing the ASEAN Tourism Agreement.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2002. / Thesis advisor(s): Edward A. Olsen, H. Lyman Miller. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-108). Also available online.