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1/15/09

asiaoneNews: Asean a diplomatic 'superpower' compared to Europe - by Kenny Chee

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Asean a diplomatic 'superpower' compared to Europe - by Kenny Chee

ECONOMICALLY, the European Union (EU) may dwarf South-east Asia. But the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is a diplomatic superpower compared to the EU, argued an eminent political analyst, adding that Asean could be a diplomatic role model for the rest of Asia. Credit the grouping's unique talk-shop pedigree.

Professor Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, told my paper that the EU a "diplomatic mini-power" compared to Asean. He said: "The EU has handled its geopolitical borders very badly and its surrounding borders are troubled." The EU has failed to prevent warfare along its borders and Prof Mahbubani cited wars like last year's Georgian war. However, Asean has handled geopolitical relations well. In an East-West Dialogue journal article last September, he noted that "no two Asean states have gone to war with each other since Asean was created".

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