Asian Union, a Noteworthy Proposal
By Mahdi Sanayi, member of the Iranian Parliament
Whether it is the NAFTA, the Mercosur, the EU or the African Union, most continents around the world are known to have a representative organization. Asia, the largest continent of the world, lacks such an institution however.
Asian Union is a noteworthy idea which needs more deliberation in order to become materialized. In the way of establishing this union, regional cooperation organizations can be of massive aid. The Union, in response, can be the umbrella which props us those regional organizations.
Regionalism came into focus since the 1970s. Formation of organizations such as ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) is the fruit of this attitude in those years. There were periods of decline for both the idea and its offshoots when globalization became the dominant trend, and in 1990s when United States was following the idea of New Global Order vigorously. Soviet Union collapse and failure of America’s unilateralism on the other hand gave substance to regionalism after periods of decline. Since we are in a period which loosely could be regarded as the heyday of regionalism, it seems like the perfect moment to set forth the idea of establishing the Asian Union.
The Asian continent has felt the vacuum for long. This is the largest continent of the world, hosting the highest number of religions, cultures, countries and ethnicities and possessing substantial mineral resources. While Asia is the main supplier of raw material for many industries around the world, it is sadly dependent on American and European products. Continental cooperation can lead to self-reliance, while also enhancing security and stability. Rise of industrial powers such as China and India makes the prospect more promising.
The idea has been floating around for some time actually. The Asian Parliamentary Assembly–Iran’s suggestion- is now a fairly active organization which could be a prototype of the Asian Union. Iran can be a weighty member in this union if it wields its geopolitical card as the main route which connects Far East to Central Asia and Caucasus.
It is worth mentioning that Iran has never fully tapped the potentials of cooperation with Central Asian and Caucasian states. Although the trade volume is consistently increasing, in comparison with other countries it is still an unremarkable figure. Less than fifty percent of transit potentials between Iran and Central Asia have been realized so far and while talks over the north-south corridor have been around for many years, no tangible efforts have been made so far. If Iran wants the prospective Asian Union to pay special attention to cooperation potentials in Central Asia and Caucasus, it should construct massive infrastructure in this region and add to its presence in energy production and transportation field.
Asian Union is a noteworthy idea which needs more deliberation in order to become materialized. In the way of establishing this union, regional cooperation organizations can be of massive aid. The Union, in response, can be the umbrella which props us those regional organizations.
Regionalism came into focus since the 1970s. Formation of organizations such as ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) is the fruit of this attitude in those years. There were periods of decline for both the idea and its offshoots when globalization became the dominant trend, and in 1990s when United States was following the idea of New Global Order vigorously. Soviet Union collapse and failure of America’s unilateralism on the other hand gave substance to regionalism after periods of decline. Since we are in a period which loosely could be regarded as the heyday of regionalism, it seems like the perfect moment to set forth the idea of establishing the Asian Union.
The Asian continent has felt the vacuum for long. This is the largest continent of the world, hosting the highest number of religions, cultures, countries and ethnicities and possessing substantial mineral resources. While Asia is the main supplier of raw material for many industries around the world, it is sadly dependent on American and European products. Continental cooperation can lead to self-reliance, while also enhancing security and stability. Rise of industrial powers such as China and India makes the prospect more promising.
The idea has been floating around for some time actually. The Asian Parliamentary Assembly–Iran’s suggestion- is now a fairly active organization which could be a prototype of the Asian Union. Iran can be a weighty member in this union if it wields its geopolitical card as the main route which connects Far East to Central Asia and Caucasus.
It is worth mentioning that Iran has never fully tapped the potentials of cooperation with Central Asian and Caucasian states. Although the trade volume is consistently increasing, in comparison with other countries it is still an unremarkable figure. Less than fifty percent of transit potentials between Iran and Central Asia have been realized so far and while talks over the north-south corridor have been around for many years, no tangible efforts have been made so far. If Iran wants the prospective Asian Union to pay special attention to cooperation potentials in Central Asia and Caucasus, it should construct massive infrastructure in this region and add to its presence in energy production and transportation field.