ASEAN

Successes and Failures

ASEAN & Singapore

Successes
Economic

Political

ASEAN Free Trade Area

(AFTA)

Launched 1992
Aimed to integrate the ASEAN
economies into a single production
base with 500 million people
Remove all import taxes to facilitate
free trade
Taxes fell from 13% in 1993 to 2% in
2003

US-ASEAN Expanded
Economic Engagement

ASEANs major economic cooperation

with the United States
ASEAN has, through this, become
USAs 5th largest market for exports

ASEAN Regional Forum

(ARF)

Launched 1994
Provides a platform for political and
security-related dialogues
Promotes cooperation among countries
Allows for the peaceful resolution of
conflicts between countries

Lack of Success
Economic

ASEAN Economic
Community (AEC)

Planned to come about by 2015

28% of AEC measures to be
implemented 2008-2011 were left
pending as of August 2013
Individual countries lack of funds to
push out AEC plans
Results in disparity in economic
development among ASEAN countries

Political

Policy of non-interference

ASEAN does not actively seek to

mitigate the severity of conflicts among
member countries
Takes on a passive role when it comes
to resolving regional disputes
Sabah conflict-- in the face of 200
armed groups masquerading as the
Royal Army of the Sultan of Sulu,
ASEAN failed to act
However, interference is not ASEANs
aim
ASEAN aims to provide a platform for
peaceful negotiations, which it does
with the ARF

Singapore and ASEAN

Education and Professional
Exchange

Contribution of technical knowledge to less-developed

countries in the region
Provision of technical training to 1700 officials from Laos
since 1993
Provision of scholarships to students of ASEAN countries
under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP)
without any bond --> allows them to return to serve their
countries

Economic Cooperation and

Assistance

Singapore launched the Initiative for ASEAN Integration

(IAI) in 2000
Provided $80 million aid packages for up to five years to
countries to develop their economies

Environmental
Collaboration

Since the 1997 forest fires in Indonesia, Singapore has

offered to assist Indonesia in the monitoring of forest fires
through satellite imagery and the identification of hot
spots