Skip navigation
Skip navigation

The Social Construction of International Institutions -ASEAN+3 and the Eastern Enlargement of the European Union

Nabers, Dirk

Description

Conclusion : Both the ASEAN plus three process and the enlargement of the EU can be explained through a social constructivist variant of IR theory in which enlargement is understood as the expansion of international community to new members. Those who share the same values, norms, and, thereby, the same identity are integrating in one institution. At some points, rational considerations were finally turned into normative ones. In effect, both institutions' identities are closely related to a...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorNabers, Dirk
dc.date.accessioned2003-06-27
dc.date.accessioned2004-05-19T17:39:32Z
dc.date.accessioned2011-01-05T08:51:25Z
dc.date.available2004-05-19T17:39:32Z
dc.date.available2011-01-05T08:51:25Z
dc.date.created2002
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/41709
dc.description.abstractConclusion : Both the ASEAN plus three process and the enlargement of the EU can be explained through a social constructivist variant of IR theory in which enlargement is understood as the expansion of international community to new members. Those who share the same values, norms, and, thereby, the same identity are integrating in one institution. At some points, rational considerations were finally turned into normative ones. In effect, both institutions' identities are closely related to a pan-European/Asian culture and history of which the candidate states obviously are an unquestionable part. In Europe, it was the end of the Cold War rather than the prospect of enlargement that lead to the realization of the pan-European idea; in East Asia, it was the Asian crisis that led to the institutionalization of the Asian idea. The evidence that can be derived from the two cases is though still much stronger in the European case. The focus on individual member states' preferences is obviously insufficient to explain outcomes that vary in important ways from the underlying distribution of power in the European Union. Interests are apparently driven by specific norms. While some of the toughest negotiations on agriculture and regional funding are going to be concluded only a short time before actual enlargement, it is even more difficult to see the process through the rationalist lens alone. In East Asia, it is the deeper institutionalization of ASEAN plus three in the political field that is of particular interest, since this process has obviously go nothing to do with the original raison d'être of the forum. While, the common interest of the member countries was to stabilize East Asia after the Asian crisis, the EU aspired to stabilize Eastern Europe by expanding the borders of the EU security community. In this respect, the EU institutions can play a role that Asian institutions cannot yet assume. Especially the Commission plays an important role in providing solutions to many of the coordination problems among member states. Speaking in realist terms, Wennerlund argues that the EU "enhances the capabilities of those actors whose preferences are nearest to those embedded in the institution, biasing negotiated outcomes in ways at variance with the underlying distribution of power." Accordingly, the EU institutions become accessible for use by governments and groups in pursuit of their interests. Eventually, this case shows us that institutions are able to influence the bargaining potential of political actors.
dc.format.extent1 vol.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoen_AU
dc.publisherNational Europe Centre (NEC), The Australian National University
dc.relation.ispartofseriesNational Europe Centre (NEC) Paper: No. 38
dc.rightsAuthor/s retain copyright
dc.subjectEU
dc.subjectEuropean Union
dc.subjectASEAN
dc.subjectAssociation of South East Asian Nations
dc.subjectinternational community
dc.subjectCold War
dc.titleThe Social Construction of International Institutions -ASEAN+3 and the Eastern Enlargement of the European Union
dc.typeWorking/Technical Paper
local.description.refereedno
local.identifier.citationmonthjul
local.identifier.citationyear2002
local.identifier.eprintid1503
local.rights.ispublishedno
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationNational Europe Centre
local.contributor.affiliationANU
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
CollectionsANU Centre for European Studies (ANUCES)

Download

File Description SizeFormat Image
nabers1.pdf114.94 kBAdobe PDFThumbnail


Items in Open Research are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Updated:  17 November 2022/ Responsible Officer:  University Librarian/ Page Contact:  Library Systems & Web Coordinator