An Appraisal of ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) as Part of Defence Diplomacy Initiative for Conflict Resolution

Abstract

Defence diplomacy is an effective tool to promote understanding among militaries and armed forces of sovereign nations. It usually involves the use of military personnel or forces in pursuing foreign policy initiatives. More often it is incorporated in the respective state’s security strategy and policies thereunder. This paper assesses the significance of ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting as one of the defence diplomacies instruments in ASEAN and its capabilities in resolving conflicts within the region. In doing so, this paper will look into the progress of ADMM since its institution in 2006, whilst not neglecting the influence of ASEAN norms, and analyse the capabilities of ADMM in tackling regional security issues. It is argued that ADMM roles rather limited, the norm of non-interference being considered a barrier, and it lacks ministerial mandate. Thus, ADMM remains as a dialogue tool rather than an effective conflict resolution platform.