The Regionalism as a Contested Political Space: Justice, Democracy, and Legitimacy in ASEAN and the EU

Abstract

This article examines regionalism as a contested political space by comparing the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the lenses of justice, democracy, and legitimacy. Constructing on theories of multipolarity and symbolic politics, this study highlights how legitimacy in international relations is shaped not only by material power but also by recognition, cultural memory, and contestation. While the EU has institutionalized democracy, human rights, and the rule of law through binding treaties, it faces persistent democratic deficits, amplified by a populist backlash, neoliberal constraints, and technocratic governance. Furthermore, ASEAN, by contrast, privileges sovereignty, consensus, and non-interference, resulting in limited institutional capacity to enforce justice and human rights, as demonstrated by its weak response to the Rohingya crisis and the 2021 Myanmar coup. Progressive critiques from Europe and emerging demands from civil society in Southeast Asia reveal that regionalism is not a fixed neoliberal order, but an arena open to competing visions of solidarity and accountability. By situating ASEAN and the EU within a shifting multipolar order, the article argues that regionalism must evolve beyond elite-centric frameworks toward more people-centred governance that embeds justice and democracy as conditions for legitimacy.