Burma's Entry into ASEAN: Background and Implications

In: Asian perspective, Band 22, Heft 3, S. 49-62

Abstract

Abstract: The decision by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to admit Burma (Myanmar) as a member in mid-1997 seriously strained the association's relations with its dialogue partners in the West. Both European countries and the United States urged that Burma be excluded from ASEAN because of its record of suppressing democracy. ASEAN persisted with Burma's admission, however for several reasons. The association, formed in 1967 to limit outside engagement in the Southeast Asia region, did not wish to be instructed on its membership policy by the West, and especially not on the grounds of internal political practice. Many ASEAN countries also feared that Burma might fall into China's orbit if it were excluded. Some groups in ASEAN also saw Burma's resource-rich economy as a useful complement to the more developed economies further east. Although some authorities suggested that ASEAN might put pressure on Burma to improve its human-rights performance, the impact of Burma's membership seems most likely to be in the field of economic transparency and infrastructure development.