Security Governance and ASEAN’s Political Security Community: Fragmented but Inclusive Security Communities?

The establishment of the ASEAN Political and Security (APSC) in 2015 mimics the notion of a security community where member states are imbued with deep habits of cooperation, mutual trust, a sense of ‘we-feeling’ and the ability to manage security problems together with no prospects of any member going to war with another. But does a security community provide sufficient foundation for security governance in Southeast Asia? The idea of security governance, defined as a set of processes and arrangements carried out by a range of state and non-state actors across multiple levels from the local to the international that are aimed at defining and managing security challenges, requires a movement beyond state-centric approaches to one that is more participatory and inclusive. Despite the APSC’s people-centred rhetoric, there are inherent tensions in security practices in ASEAN as states hold on to the principles of non-interference and state sovereignty, while having to respond effectively to address a host of non-traditional threats. These tensions have led to the emergence of multiple sites of governance that are changing the nature of security governance in the region. In analysing the cases of civilian protection in times of humanitarian crises and forced migration, the paper argues that multiple sites of governance point to the need to reassess the APSC as a mechanism for security governance and explore the idea of having fragmented but more inclusive and participatory security communities that work together towards the shared goal of more secure region.