Localization and mimetic adoption in norm diffusion: ASEAN’s amity and cooperation norm for the Indo-Pacific

Abstract

The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific became the foundation of ASEAN’s diffusion of amity and cooperation norms in the wider Indo-Pacific region. However, a gap in the literature indicates a lack of understanding of the process and phases of the norm diffusion process in intra-ASEAN and towards ASEAN’s extra-regional partners. This article addresses this gap in the literature by inquiring how the global norms become adjusted to fit the local context of Southeast Asian concerns and what mimetic adoption can explain regarding the finalization of the norm diffusion process of amity and cooperation within ASEAN. This article is informed by the theoretical framework of “localization” and “mimetic adoption” introduced by Collins (2013), Acharya (2011), and Katsumata (2011) through the adoption of a qualitative research methodology, utilizing primary data attained from official reports (chairman’s statements and declarations) from ASEAN Summits and ASEAN extra-regional forums between 2010–2021. This study reveals; 1) ASEAN’s localization of “free and open Indo-Pacific” global norms through the adoption of politically-neutral and non-aligned terms of “amity and cooperation” to fit the local practices and beliefs of Southeast Asian states and 2) mimetic adoption through the imitation of norm adoption can be traced from the inclusion of the norms in the intra and inter ASEAN forums, as attempts to be perceived being part of the community and deviate from unwelcomed interferences.

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