Porlante, Jerico I.
BSCE 4-E
20-22684
Activity: Write a 250-500 words insight paper about your learnings or takeaway from the
article.
Functionalist and Identity Regionalism: Asia, Asia-Pacific, and Indo-Pacific
Asia's regionalism has drawn a lot of attention from across the world because it has the
ability to change the face of international security and promote real-world collaboration
between states.
Infrastructure development, economic integration, and security are just a few of the
objectives that functionalist regionalism highlights as legitimate reasons for really working
together internationally. By addressing common problems and promoting regional stability, this
approach has led to the creation of regional organizations and initiatives throughout Asia. The
Indo-Pacific vision and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue are examples of functionalist
regionalism; they both seek to promote international cooperation in resolving security concerns
and improving regional stability.
On the other hand, identity regionalism emphasizes how important shared identity,
norms, and interests are in fostering regional cooperation and cohesion. This approach
highlights the ways in which local cultures, histories, and values influence regional dynamics
and the probability of international cooperation or conflict. Identity regionalism in the Asian
context has sparked debates about the involvement of particular countries, like China and India,
in regional initiatives and institutions as well as concerns about the potential impact of these
institutions on regional organizations that currently exist, like ASEAN.
A relatively recent addition to regionalism studies is the Indo-Pacific construct, which
combines functionalist methods with identity regionalism. This idea has gained traction
recently because it has the ability to change the nature of international security and promote
fruitful collaboration between Asia-Pacific countries. However, the Indo-Pacific concept has
additional drawbacks, including a hazy picture of the region and the possibility of hostilities
between the region's main nations.
To sum up, functionalist and identity regionalisms have a big influence on how Asia,
Asia-Pacific, and Indo-Pacific are shaped regionally. Both strategies have advantages, but they
also confront difficulties in the region, including the possibility of great power war and the
imprecise delineation of regional borders. In order to overcome these obstacles, countries in
the area must appreciate one another's diversity, have an honest and productive discourse, and
work toward a more stable and cooperative regional order.