Management of Intra-Group Conflicts in Saarc: the Relevance of Asean Experiences

The experiences of the Assoc of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in managing intragroup conflicts are examined in order to determine their relevance for the South Asian Assoc for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The focus is on conflicts between/among Brunei, Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, & Thailand. A comparative analysis of strategies used to manage intragroup conflicts in ASEAN & SAARC indicates that conflicts in both groups tend to be very intense & are often between diverse ethno-religious groups or based on historical antagonisms. However, the divergence in security perspectives is significantly more complex in ASEAN countries than in SAARC countries. It is noted that there are strong disputes over sharing waters in SAARC, but they are nonexistent in ASEAN. The ASEAN process of handling disputes between members through informal channels, sometimes with the involvement of a third party acting as mediator, was extremely successful. Although SAARC attempted to initiate similar mechanisms, they were not as adept at handling conflict resolution. Reasons for this difference are discussed. J. Lindroth