ABSTRACT
The second half of the 1990s and the early 2000s were the heydays of inter-regionalism. Against the backdrop of a uni-multipolar order with the United States at its centre and the European Union (EU), the People’s Republic of China and Japan as further pillars of the international system, institutionalized relations between regions seemingly provided answers to the challenges of the post-Cold War global structures. EU-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) relations emerged as the model for inter-regionalism but other examples of intensifying links between regions excluding the major powers followed suit. In 1996 ASEAN and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR/MERCOSUL) (Mercado Común del Sur/Mercado Comum do Sul) strengthened their relations, followed in 1999 by the establishment of the Forum for East-Asia Latin America Cooperation. However, initial high expectations regarding these initiatives’ balancing functions and their contribution to multilateral institution and identity-building remained largely unfulfilled. ASEAN-Latin America relations have been at best described as peripheral inter-regionalism. A new effort to building bloc-to-bloc ties was made in 2014 with the founding of the ASEAN-Pacific Alliance Framework for Cooperation. This chapter provides an overview of ASEAN-Latin America relations, elaborates on the strategic interests of the partners vis-à-vis each other, and critically assesses the achievements and limitations of South-South cooperation across the Pacific.
