Research Outline for Discussion
Cluster on “Great power rivalry and maritime order in Southeast Asia”
7 September 2019
PRN-SEA Meeting, RSIS, SingaporeI.
Background
Great power rivalry has changed the “seascape” of maritime order in Southeast Asia.
Until quite recently, China and some Southeast Asian countries are only players in South
China Sea. The US under then the Barak Obama administration has gradually stepped in
the conflicts with the notion of freedom of navigation, though it repeatedly stated that theUS maintains a neutral position over any territorial disputes. The great power rivalrybetween Washington and Beijing have added another layer in the maritime disputes.
Maritime order covers the varieties of issues such as territorial disputes, freedom ofnavigation, piracy and sea robbery, marine environmental problems, illegal unreported
and unregulated fishing and so on.
II.
The Research
Because of the great power rivalry, the number of stakeholders have increased and theissue areas have expanded. What are the impacts of the US China “trade war” on maritime
order in Southeast Asia? Considering Trump-led US diplomacy, is international legal
approach still relevant? What can we expect from ASEAN or other regional andmultilateral institutions to manage maritime order? What are the roles of ASEAN
dialogue partners in the region or broader regions of East Asia and Indo-Pacific? How do
the countries in the region craft their foreign policy with various bi-lateral, regional andmultilateral mechanisms?
In this cluster, we study the impact of the great power rivalry on maritime order inSoutheast Asia with special focus on domestic politics and foreign relations (c.f. Baviera2012). In the first three chapters, the authors will study several issues which set up
common grounds of discussion for the following part of country case study. The firstchapter sorts out general implication of the great power rivalry on maritime order inSoutheast Asia. The second chapter introduces critical issues to scrutinize maritime orderin the regions and examines the current status of each issue. The third chapter revisits theconcept of ASEAN centrality to characterize decision making process and examines thepossibility and limitations of foreign policy making in the regions. The second part of thebook discusses rather detailed account of country cases.
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III.
Tentative Structure of the Book
Overview I. [Introduction to Great Power Rivalry]
Bhubhindar Singh (RSIS)
Overview II. [Introduction to Maritime Security in Southeast Asia]
Jane Chan (RSIS)
Overview III. Great Power Rivalry and Southeast Asia: Revisiting “ASEAN Centrality”
Yusuke Takagi (GRIPS)
Abstract
ASEAN centrality has been an issue whenever outside powers discuss a new regionalframework or expansion of existing ones. After the Asian Financial Crisis, the ASEAN
leaders discussed it in the context of possible transformation of ASEAN plus Three into
East Asian Summit or making of a new East Asian Summit including outside powers suchas Australia, China, India, and Japan. At the ASEAN summit in 2019, they havereconfirmed ASEAN centrality in their outlook on Indo Pacific. How can we understandthe ASEAN centrality in the context of great power rivalry? In this chapter, the author
revisits the nexus of ASEAN centrality and tradition of civic nationalism in Southeast
Asia, which should be distinguished from ethnic nationalism some are provoking. Heargues that ASEAN centrality is resilient not only because it is sustained by ASEAN
leaders but also because it is rooted in history of nation building in Southeast Asia.
Country case study I. [Indonesia]
Shafiah Muhibat
Country case study II [Malaysia]
Shariman Lockman
Country case study III. [the Philippines]
Aileen S.P. BavieraCountry case study IV [Vietnam]
Vo Xuan Vinh
Country case study V. Japan’s Approach to Southeast Asian Maritime Security
Hideshi Tokuchi (GRIPS)
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IV.
Timeline
September 2019
Kickoff meeting among the team and decide on the research concept and direction
October 2020
Second meeting among the teamDraft (7,000 – 10,000 words) are expectedFebruary 2021
Presentation at Tokyo ForumV.
The Team
Ms. Jane Chan (RSISDr. Yusuke Takagi (GRIPS)
Mr. Hideshi Tokuchi (GRIPS Alliance
Dr. Bhubhindar Singh (RSIS)Dr. Shafiah Muhibat (CSIS Indonesia) (TBC)
Mr. Shahriman Lockman (ISIS Malaysia) (TBC)
Dr. Vo Xuan Vinh (Vietnam Academy Of Social Sciences)Prof. Aileen S.P. Baviera (Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation Inc.)--References
Baviera, Aileen. 2012. “The Influence of Domestic Politics on Philippine Foreign Policy:
The Case of Philippines – China Relations since 2004” RSIS Working Paper, 241.

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