東南アジア連合成立過程の分析

Abstract

Regional cooperation in Southeast Asia dates back to as early as the late 1950's, a few years after the independence of Malaya. The first experience was negotiations among Malaya, the Philippines and Thailand to create an organization for regional cooperation, which were followed by the formation of ASA (the Association of Southeast Asia) in 1961. This paper analyzes the logic of its formation as a process of consensus-building. Due to the lack of interest in ASA, there is little literature on its formation. Therefore, the first half of the paper presents a chronological survey of the formation process since 1958. Three sections deal with the foreign policy and general attitudes toward regional cooperation of the three ASA countries. Four sections cover the development of a joint endeavor to create an organization. One section discusses the responses of other Southeast Asian countries, among which that of South Vietnam is of particular interest. The second half presents an analysis of the logic of the formation of ASA. The first three sections are the preliminary development of a typology of the proposals made in the course of negotiations leading to the formation of ASA. Proposals are typologized in terms of the following three fundamental standpoints : (1) the objective or the range of cooperation; (2) the domain of memberstates; and (3) legal and institutional foundation. Based on the typology, the logic of consensus-building is analyzed through application of "the principle of minimal commitments" in the fourth section. This principle, originally hypothesized in this paper, argues that each item of the consensus corresponds to the weakest commitment by negotiators. Although it appears contrary to common sense, it seems to work in Southeast Asia. The final two sections deal with other important issues in the formation process of ASA in relation to the applicability of the abovementioned principle.