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A rose or a unicorn? Asean’s mission under the spotlight
Connectivity is a key theme of Asean’s summit this week. Despite various initiatives, the building of connections beyond transactional ones still has some way to go.
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Asean’s efforts, such as the Asean Foundation and Socio-Cultural Community, are often criticised for being too elitist and disconnected from the everyday lives of citizens.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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In 1995, political scientist Donald Emmerson raised a provocative question: Is South-east Asia more like a rose, that is, a region with a vibrant, distinct identity, or is it a unicorn, an elusive construct without a reality? This question challenges us to consider if the region embodies a cohesive identity or exists only as an abstraction.
South-east Asia is a vast and diverse region, home to myriad cultures, ethnicities and religious traditions. Some would posit that there are social and cultural commonalities, bound further by overlapping histories of colonisation and trade.
