by William J. Jones
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the historical establishment of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) by analyzing the convergence of external pressures and internal regional dynamics. It identifies three primary macro-level drivers: the influence of the Western unipolar moment following the Cold War, the search for international credibility and relevance, and the domestic processes of democratization within key Southeast Asian states. The establishment of AICHR also served as a strategic response to the sensitivities of post-colonial statehood and the preservation of state sovereignty. By creating its own regional mechanism, ASEAN sought to emulate the institutional paradigms of the European Union, the African Union, and the Organization of American States, thereby signaling its legitimacy to the international community. Crucially, AICHR was conceived as a ‘buffer’ against external interference, allowing regional elites to control the human rights narrative and protect themselves from the perceived threats of ‘unwanted globalization’ or foreign policy tools used by Western partners to infringe on domestic affairs. This statist approach prioritizes a state-based security view of human rights over a society- or individual-based perspective, framing human rights as a component of national development and capacity building.
