ABSTRACT
It is easy to see how the Asia-Europe Meeting’s (ASEM’s) composition and organization can lead participants and observers alike to imagine that a new international level is emerging. One group of participants comprises European Union (EU) members and meets a group of states that has been moving towards closer regional cooperation in the last decade. In the search for theoretical explanations of “interregionalism,” scholars have turned to realism, liberalism and constructivism. Yet, these theories suffer from fundamental epistemological weaknesses that undermine their claim to theorize ASEM as an interregional level with specific functions. Instead of presuming the latter’s existence, we should start with the participants’ own description of ASEM as a dialogue process and inquire into the conditions for successful dialogue. This chapter argues that the work of Tzvetan Todorov and Jürgen Habermas, while not directly addressing the problem of international dialogue, can nevertheless help us to identify the conditions that ASEM should fulfill if it is to be properly considered a dialogue process. After doing this, it will be possible to analyze some general features of ASEM as a forum for “interregional” dialogue.
