Description
Theories on emotional communities recognise the way in which trust results from a common emotional history, though they have been primarily applied to Western cases. On the other hand, the non-Western ASEAN is often characterised as a region of distrust. Many scholars reject the presence of trust, while those more sympathetic point to continuing distrust despite recognition of a collective identity constituted by an ‘ASEAN way’ of doing diplomacy. This rejection of trust is problematic, as it directly contradicts the viewpoints of ASEAN diplomats, suggesting that these diplomats are either dishonest or naïve about the trust they purportedly feel. This paper sets out the emotional basis of the ASEAN trusting community, before then analysing how the expression of emotional challenges to this basis is managed by political elites. Drawing upon trust research recognising the importance of context I argue there has been a development of trust in ASEAN, but one that has been difficult to recognise as it relies on specific emotional components that do not necessarily fit the Western model. These are further grounded in memories of trauma related to ASEAN’s non-Western experiences of being colonised and ensuing intra-state insecurity. I assess the resilience of this emotional trust by analysing the implications of negative emotional challenges – a common occurrence between the populations of Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia – and how these are managed by diplomatic elites. The paper points to a need to recognise the differences in non-Western experiences of emotion in order to broaden our understanding of trust and community construction and demonstrates the complexity of emotionally-grounded trust within communities such as ASEAN.
