Regionalism and Cross-Border Cooperation against Crime and Terrorism in the Asia-Pacific

This article examines cooperation against transnational crime and terrorism in two regional associations-The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It argues that, because of the presence of paired antagonists in such associations, the existence of regional associations does not itself guarantee sound cooperation. Criminals and terrorists, on the other hand, recognise neither antagonisms between countries nor borders in deciding with whom to cooperate. Securitisation of non-conventional security threats further complicates the picture. In cases of paired antagonists and tentative regionalism such as in SAARC and ASEAN, it would be better for initial cooperation to occur in a non-securitised framework. Nevertheless, regionalism does have a place in building confidence and providing a post hoc forum for cooperation once political difficulties have eased.