WORLD OF REGIONS
LESSON 5
Catapang. Mark Edison V.
Dimaunahan, Darlene Lily D.
Garcia, Karl Vincent S.
Hernandez, Kaye Cee B.
Maala, Marc Bryan S.
GROUP 5
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Globalization has made people aware of the world in general, but it has also made
Filipinos more cognizant of specific areas such as Southeast Asia. While regionalism is often
seen as a political and economic phenomenon, the term encompasses a broader area. It can be
examined in relation with identities, ethics, religion, ecological sustainability, and health.
Regionalism is also a process. It must be treated as n “emergent, socially constituted
phenomenon”. It means that regions are not natural or given; rather, they are constructed and
defines by policymakers, economic actors and social movements.
This lesson will look at regions as political entities and examine what brings them
together as they interlock with globalization. The other facts of regionalism will then be
explored, especially those that pertain to identities ethics, religion, ecological sustainability, and
health.
COUNTRIES, REGIONS AND GLOBALIZATION
10 Regions of the World
1. Africa
2. Asia
3. Caribbean
4. Central America
5. Eastern Europe
6. European Union
7. Middle East
8. North America
9. Oceania
10. South America
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
1. Brunei
2. Cambodia
3. Indonesia
4. Laos
5. Malaysia
6. Myanmar
7. Philippines
8. Singapore
9. Thailand
10. Vietnam
ASEAN is a regional intergovernmental association comprising ten countries that was
established originally by the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and
Thailand in 1967. Its primary goal is to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural
development and to promote peace and security in Southeast Asia. The ASIAN region has a
population of more than 600 million and covers a total area of 1.7 million square miles (4.5
million square kilometers). Under the banner of cooperative peace and shared prosperity,
ASEAN’s chief projects center on economic cooperation, the promotion of trade among ASEAN
countries, and between ASEAN members and the rest of the world, and programs for joint
research and technical cooperation among member governments.
According to Edward D. Mansfield and Helen V. Milner,
1. Regions are groups of countries located on the same geographically specified area or are
amalgamation of two regions or combination of more than two regions.
2. The words regionalization and regionalism should not be interchanged.
Regionalization vs. Regionalism
1. Regionalization- regional concentration of economic flows
2. Regionalism- political process characterized by economic policy cooperation and
coordination among countries
Regionalization vs. Globalization
Regionalization- establishment of new regional treaties and accords aimed to increase the
cooperation, integration, or political involvement between states in a specific region.
Globalization- international integration arising from the interchange of world views,
products, ideas, technology and etc.
Why form regional associations?
1. Military defense
The most widely known defense group is the North-Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). It was formed during the Cold War when several Western
European countries and United States agreed to protect Europe against the Soviet Union.
As a response to this, the Soviet Union created a regional alliance which is the Warsaw
Pact. However, the Soviet Union imploded in December 1991, but NATO remains in
place.
2. Pool resources
Countries form regional organizations to pool resources, get better return for
exports as well as expand their leverage against trading partners. The Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC ) was established in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to regulate the production and sale of oil. OPEC’s success
has convinced the other none oil-producing countries to join their organization.
3. Protect independence
The presidents of Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, and Yugoslavia created the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961. They wanted to pursue world peace and
international cooperation, human rights, national sovereignty, racial and national
equality, non-intervention, and peaceful conflict resolution. This association refused to
side with either the First world capitals democracies in Western Europe and United States
or the communist states in Eastern Europe. It has 120 member countries.
4. Compel countries to come together
The crisis that existed in Thai economy when it collapsed last 1996 made the
ASEAN more unified and coordinated. The association has come a long way since it was
formed as a coalition of countries which were pro-American and supportive of the United
States intervention in Vietnam.
NON-STATE REGIONALISM
New regionalism- tiny associations that include no more than a few actors and focus on
a single issue, or huge continental unions that address a multitude of common problems
from territorial defense to food security. They are the reformists who share the same
values, norms, institutions and system that exist outside of the traditional, established
mainstream institutions and system.
Citizen Diplomacy Forum- group that tries to influence the policies and programs of th
Organization of American States.
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights- pursue to prevent discrimination, uphold
political freedom, and promote democracy and human rights throughout the region.
Regional Interfaith Youth Networks- promotes conflict prevention, resolution, peace,
education and sustainable development.
Migrant Forum- regional network of NGO committed to protecting and promoting the
rights and welfare of migrant workers.
CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES TO REGIONALISM
1. The resurgence of militant nationalism and populism
Nationalism- identification of one’s own nation and support for its interests,
especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.
Populism- political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel
that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
The relationship of United States with NATO has become problematic after
Donald Trump demonized the organization as simply leeching off American Military
power without giving anything in return.
The most crisis-ridden regional organization of today is the European Union. It
forces countries like Greece to leave the Union to gain more flexibility in their economic
policy. It has led to United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union in a move the
media has termed “Brexit” on March 29, 2019.
2. ASEAN members beg to disagree over the extent to which member countries should
sacrifice the sovereignty for the sake of regional stability. The association's link with East
Asia has also been problematic.
3. Differing visions of regionalism should be for
Western Governments- they see regional organizations not simply as economic
formations but also instruments of political democratization.
Non-Western Governments (Singapore, China, Russia)- they have different
view of globalization, development and democracy. They believed that
democracy is an obstacle to the implementation and deepening of economic
globalization because constant public inquiry about economic projects and
lengthy debate slow down implementation that led to unclear outcomes.
