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LESSON 3: WORLD OF REGIONS

The Global North and South

Introduction

What is Regionalism and why is it important to understand in a Globalizing world? There

is an idiom: There is strength in numbers. In this discussion, formation of Regions and
Regionalism will be tackled. From each basic feature, formation, and the significance of its
continuing existence in the era of globalization. This lesson will try to merge the previous lessons
regarding the political, social, and economic factors that inspired the countries into forming these
regional alliances. Furthermore, this lesson will discuss the emerging new form of Regionalism
that identifies alliances based on its causes rather than geographic location.

Learning Objectives

Students are expected to learn the following, by the end of this lesson:

1. Able to differentiate the State Regionalism with Non-State Regionalism

2. Understand historical events that inspired the countries to form these alliances
3. Explain the significance of keeping the regions in the era of globalization

Sections of the Unit:

1. Defining Regionalism
2. What Are Regions?

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Defining Regionalism

From the previous lessons, you understand the processes and impacts of Globalization.
From the aspect of the political to the economic aspect, globalization seemed to identify each
country as a player in this worldwide phenomenon. If you understood globalization as a seemingly
formal conference table with each country's representatives shaking hands with one another, then
you understood globalization in an optimistic manner with free trade and free market as its
foundation. But for this lesson, I need you to imagine globalization as a stadium of a fight, or
stadium of performances. There is this certainty that there will be losing countries (usually those
who do not have as many resources and machineries as others), and there will be a winning
country (those who have the means to innovate success).

With that in mind, Regionalism was established by groups of neighboring countries as a way of
coping in the “stadium of performances/fight” or the Globalization.

Regionalism is a political and economic phenomenon. You can disaggregate the motivations of
a particular phenomenon whether it was established through similar identities, ethics, religion,
ecological sustainability, or health. Further, it is also a process. Forming of Regionalism is not
inevitable, it is not a “natural process” in society. Formation of regionalism is observed to be
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inspired by socially emergent issues that need to be addressed. Regionalism is constructed and
defined by policymakers (Claudio & Abinales, 2018:50).

For further definition of Regionalism, this is its definition from the World Atlas:

Regionalism is defined as a political ideology that favors a specific region over a greater area. It
usually results due to political separations, religious geography, cultural boundaries, linguistic
regions, and managerial divisions. Regionalism emphasizes on developing the administrative
power and swaying the available or some inhabitants of a region. Activists of regionalism claim
that instituting the governing bodies and civil authorities within an area, at the expense of a
national regime, will significantly increase local populations by improving the local economies
through the distribution of resources and execution of local policies and strategies.[1]

What are Regions?

• A group of countries located in the same geographically specified area

• Regionalization vs. Regionalism

• Regionalization – regional concentration of economic flows

• Regionalism – political process characterized by economic policy cooperation and

coordination among countries

Why form Regions?

A way of coping with globalization – this does not only apply to the small lesser developed
countries. Forming alliances between neighboring countries is also a tactic used by the developed
countries in terms of protecting or solidifying their strengths. Following alliances with different
motivations are briefly discussed below:

For military defense

• Example: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Formed during the Cold War
when several Western European countries plus the United States agreed to protect
Europe against the threat of the Soviet Union...The Soviet Union imploded in
December 1991, but NATO remains in place (Claudio & Abinales, 2018:52).

For pooling of resources

• Example: OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) [In order to]
get better returns for their exports, as well as expand their leverage against trading
partners, [and] regulate the production and sale of oil…Iran, Iraq, Kuwait Saudi
Arabia, and Venezuela…established OPEC in 1960 (Claudio & Abinales,
2018:52).

To protect a country’s independence from the pressures of superpower politics

• Example: NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) …Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, and

Yugoslavia created the NAM in 1961 to pursue world peace and international
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cooperation, human rights national sovereignty, racial and national equality, non-
intervention, and peaceful conflict resolution (Claudio & Abinales, 2018:52).

To mitigate economic crisis

• 1997 Asian Financial Crisis The International Monetary Fund (IMF) tried to reverse
the crisis, but it was only after the ASEAN countries along with China, Japan, and
South Korea agreed to establish an emergency fund to anticipate a crisis that the
Asian economies stabilized. The crisis made ASEAN more “unified and
coordinated” (Claudio & Abinales, 2018:53).

What is Non-State Regionalism?

• Also called as the “New regionalism”

• Unlike with the first part of the discussion having the basic feature of forming a Regions
is the geographic location, with Non-State Regionalism, countries actually form an
alliance based on their common motivations regardless of their geographic proximity.

• The way they identify problems may:

• Differ as to form

• Tiny associations vs. huge continental unions

• Non-state regionalism is relatively as a smaller association compared to many

established regions before them. Participating countries in non-state regions
may be less compared to the participating countries in established alliances
created before them.

• Differ as to tactics and strategies

• Working with the government vs. Not working with the government

• Non-state regionalism may also have a relatively difficult budget source

compared to alliances established before them.

• Differ as to causes

• Specialized and general

What are contemporary challenges to regionalism?

• Resurgence of militant nationalism and populism

• For example, Trump’s standpoint regarding NATO does nothing for America any
more than taking advantage of the military resources; the urge to dismantle these
alliances.

• Continuing economic crisis

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• #Brexit – Amid the worsening economic crisis, Britain finally aimed for more flexible
economic transactions that the European Union alliance was limiting them for the
longest time.

• Sovereignty vs. Regional stability

• Take for example the China and Philippine territorial dispute. Even the international
ruling favored the Philippines, votes and statements from fellow ASEAN countries
were about pursuing diplomacy over confrontation against China.

• Differing visions of what regionalism should be for

• Singapore, China, and Russia are some of the countries that are not in favor of
this democratic style of decision-making. The lengthy debate before an economic
policy rolls out simply means a delay in probable economic growth.

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TERM PAPER 1

Instruction: Students will be tasked to write a critical paper that addresses the contemporary
condition of the Philippines by applying both the economic relations and the status of the
country on battling the COVID-19 Pandemic. How has the world economy and the global
pandemic influence the state of the Philippines’ economy? Please answer each question
using the following format- Arial 11, single-spaced. Indicate the Term Paper #_ and
write your name ( Last Name, First Name , M.I) and your Course and Section .

• Creative thinking: Situate one (1) of the Philippines contemporary (social/ political/
economic) issues. Assess and outline the root cause of this problem and create a
new regionalism. Propose the ideal countries to have an alliance with, in line with the
chosen problem. Justify how this created alliance will resolve the chosen problem.
This policy report should consist of not more than 1,500 words.

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