Analyze ASEAN's Deficiency In Constructing Security Community From The Perspective Of Constructivism

In the ninth ASEAN Summit held in October 2003, the leaders of ASEAN countries declared that ASEAN would establish "ASEAN Security Community" by 2020. This decision indicates the will of ASEAN countries to promote their political and security cooperation to a higher level. However, as ASEAN countries have many differences and contradictions, they meet with lots of difficulties in their coordination and cooperation, and the prospect of constructing ASEAN Security Community is not optimistic. This treatise tries to analyze ASEAN's deficiency in constructing security community from the perspective of constructivism. In terms of theory, based on the theory of community peace and the theory of international system transformation, which are two important theories of constructivism, the treatise analyzes the relation among security community, international system and collective identity. Through these analyses, it concludes that the collective identity of member countries is the decisive factor for the construction of security community, and the process of constructing security community is in essence the process of forming collective identity. The treatise also concludes that interdependence, common fate, homogenization and self-restrain are four factors which have determinative influence on the construction of security community. In terms of practical demonstration, on the basis of these four factors and ASEAN's specific situation, the treatise makes concrete analyses of the ASEAN's deficiency in its construction of security community by pointing out all sorts of problems existing in ASEAN countries. Moreover, the treatise concludes that the construction of ASEAN Security Community will be a long and arduous process.