Trans-border ethnic groups and interstate relations within ASEAN: a case study on Malaysia and Thailand's southern conflict

Existing literature contends that state capacity is an important variable that determines a country's foreign policy behavior. Another strand of literature focuses on a more specific issue - the international relations of ethnic conflict, maintaining that domestic ethnic conflict may result in interstate conflict. In Southeast Asia, many weak states suffer from protracted ethnic conflict. However, few attempts have been made to assess the role of trans-border ethnic conflict in shaping interstate relations among the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and the prospect of ASEAN security community. This article seeks to link the study of ASEAN with the issue of state capacity and internationalization of ethnic conflict. Deviating from existing literature, this article argues that the presence of trans- border ethnic groups in many ASEAN countries creates a common vulnerability, which in turn produces common interests and generates low levels of inter-state cooperation. Nevertheless, cross-border ethnic affiliations contribute to state leaders' sense of insecurity and foment interstate mistrust. When the dynamics of ethnic politics in different countries interact, this interplay may add uncertainties to regional cooperation and inhibit the formation of a true security community. This article illustrates the above mechanism by examining the interaction between Malaysia and Thailand regarding the latter's southern conflict.