Between the hammer of non interference and the anvil of third-party influence. ASEAN, APT and EAS vis-à-vis the Rohingya migration crisis.

This chapter analyzes the response of East Asian institutions to the Rohingya refugee crisis, with the aim of gaining insights into Asian regionalism. It explores, first, the origin and evolution of the Rohingya issue in order to describe the social and political context in which the migration crisis developed. It then surveys the main initiatives taken by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN plus Three and the East Asia Summit to tackle the Rohingya refugee crisis, contrasting them with those of the major powers, in particular, the United States, Japan and China. Finally, the paper investigates the EU’s commitment to developing a joint diplomatic action with ASEAN.
The analysis suggests that attachment to sovereignty, the principle of non-interference and the consensus-driven decision-making processes considerably restrained the efficacy of governance migration at the regional level. ASEAN, APT and EAS’ response to the Rohingya migration crisis was slow and anodyne, especially when compared to the initiative of state-actors. Ultimately, the case-study analyzed shows the limits of East Asia’s recent institutional changes and stresses the failure of Asian regionalism to integrate the conflicting dimensions of power, economic interdependence, and the values associated with ASEAN that have so far underpinned regional projects.