Multilateral Institutions and the Prospects for Regional Order in East Asia: The Role of Regional Institutions as Mechanisms for Maintaining the Status Quo
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概要
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Asia was long a region in which multilateral institutions had a weak presence. However, beginning with the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 1989, a number of other region-wide institutions—the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN+3 (APT) and the East Asia Summit (EAS)—have been created. The question of whether these regional institutions do matter in regional order in East Asia has been subject to an intense debate among regional specialists as well as scholars of international relations (IR). For instance, while realists, who regard a balance of power among great powers as a key factor for shaping regional order, generally dismiss the role of regional institutions, constructivists assert that regional institutions, which are now constructing shared norms and regional identities, will play a major role in the formation of an East Asian Community over the long term.The main object of this article is to examine the role of the regional institutions spanning Asia—APEC, ARF, APT, and EAS—in the maintenance and formation of regional order in East Asia through the lens of the English School approach to IR. By clarifying the potential of regional institutions to serve as a means for constructing regional order, this article also assesses the future prospects of regional order. This article begins with a brief review of the definition of international order presented in the English School and existing studies on East Asian regional order in order to clarify the configuration of regional order. The second section examines the role of regional institutions in the formation and maintenance of regional order. It argues that regional institutions have primarily contributed to the maintenance and reinforcement of the current US-centered order through four roles: (1) improving the predictability of the US presence in the region, (2) coordinating rules governing state cooperation, (3) promoting the rise of China as a force for maintaining the status quo, and (4) easing tensions between major powers. The third section illuminates the limitations of the role of regional institutions in the formation of regional order. It is argued that regional institutions can ultimately play no greater role than contributing to maintaining and bolstering the existing order. Indeed, due mainly to the lack of enforcement mechanisms, regional institutions can neither promote effective rules of state cooperation nor foster a shared regional identity, which are essential for the formation of a new community-centered regional order. The concluding section discusses the future prospects for East Asian regional order in light of the foregoing considerations.