Track Two Diplomacy: The Impacts Of CSCAP On ARF

This study aims to explore what the role Track Two diplomacy is playing in the development of the regional security institutions in the Asia Pacific through a case analysis of the impacts of CSCAP on ARF. My analysis is trying to demonstrate under what conditions and in which way, in what respects and to what extend, CSCAP, the most institutionalized track two dialogue mechanism in the Asia Pacific, has promoted the evolutionary process of the ARF, a unique pan-Asia Pacific regional security institution. I argue that the main function of CSCAP is producing and diffusing consensual knowledge and providing the intellectual leadership for ARF. CSCAP has been trying to enhance its relations with ARF to increase its authority and policy relevance to helpe ARF to establish cooperation rules and principles and promote the agenda setting process. CSCAP diffuses consensual knowledge through two channels. One is the links between the CSCAP Steering Committee and the ARF Senior Official Meetings, the other is the links between the CSCAP working groups and the ARF inter-sessional meetings. The latter channel is the focus of my analysis because both CSCAP and ARF are relying on their working group mechanism. My analysis places emphasis on three issues area: Confidence Building Measures, Preventive Diplomacy, and Non-traditional security cooperation in ARF. It is concluded that once CSCAP produce consensual knowledge in advance of ARF in the issue areas that both are interested in, CSCAP can promote or slow down ARF process. CSCAP influences ARF at two levels. One is on the structure of ARF. CSCAP helps ARF to elaborate and enhance cooperation rules and principles such as comprehensive security and cooperative security, multilateralism, and openness. The other is on the process of ARF. In this respect, CSCAP can promote ARF to develop its agenda such as Confidence Building Measures, Preventive Diplomacy measures, and Anti-terrorism measures. There are at least three important factors that determine to what extend CSCAP can influence ARF: the Capacity of CSCAP in producing consensual knowledge, the authority of consensual knowledge, and the relevance of consensual knowledge. The study shows that Track Two Diplomacy is not the necessary requirement of the building and development of security institutions in the Asia Pacific, but it can produce and diffuse consensual knowledge that is conducive to the evolution of the security institutions. To promote the evolution of regional security institutions, Track Two Diplomacy must meet at least three requirements: (1) it should have capacity of producing consensual knowledge; (2) it should try to establish a close relationship with the official institutions so that consensual knowledge can be diffused to Track One institutions; (3) it should guarantee its policy relevance to satisfy the needs of Track One institutions. CSCAP has done much better in these respects than any other track two dialogues in the Asia Pacific region. That's the reason it has achieved much more.