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Regionalism and Cross-Border Cooperation
against Crime and Terrorism in the Asia-Pacific
Author: Sandy Gordon
Volume 5, Number 4 (Summer 2009), pp. 75-102.
Abstract
This article examines cooperation against transnational crime and terrorism in two regional associations—The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It argues that, because of the presence of paired antagonists in such associations, the existence of regional associations does not itself guarantee sound cooperation. Criminals and terrorists, on the other hand, recognise neither antagonisms between countries nor borders in deciding with whom to cooperate. Securitisation of non-conventional security threats further complicates the picture. In cases of paired antagonists and tentative regionalism such as in SAARC and ASEAN, it would be better for initial cooperation to occur in a non-securitised framework. Nevertheless, regionalism does have a place in building confidence and providing a post hoc forum for cooperation once political difficulties have eased.
About the Author
Sandy Gordon is a Professor at the Australian National University. He was the former head of intelligence of the Australian Federal Police and is author of India’s Rise to Power (MacMillan Press) and a number of other books on South Asia. sandy.gordon@anu.edu.au.
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