Sports Diplomacy: The Unconventional Language of Global Relations

Sports have a unique ability to transcend political and cultural divides, serving as a universal language for communication and peace. As famously stated by Nelson Mandela, "Sport has the power to change the world," a sentiment echoed by the United Nations Secretary-General who called it "the common language" of humanity. Beyond mere competition, sports can symbolize solidarity and are often used as a tool for diplomacy to restore or strengthen international relations.

Historical Precedents of Sports Diplomacy

History is filled with examples of sports being used to mend diplomatic fences. The most famous case is "Ping Pong Diplomacy" between the United States and China in the early 1970s. After decades of isolation, the exchange of table tennis players paved the way for a historic meeting between U.S. and Chinese leaders, fundamentally resetting their relationship.

Similarly, sports have been used to ease tensions between rival nations like Pakistan and India, with cricket and other sports often being the first step toward diplomatic dialogue after periods of conflict. This practice, known as sports diplomacy, allows for informal communication and partnership-building that might not be possible through traditional diplomatic channels.

Sports Diplomacy in the Cambodian Context

Even in Southeast Asia, sports diplomacy has been applied to de-escalate regional conflicts. The article notes that Cambodian and Thai military commanders have used volleyball and football matches to reduce tension along their shared border. While such efforts are effective at a micro-level, they cannot solve the underlying political issues.

Major international sporting events, such as the Winter Olympics hosted by Russia, are also used to project an image of a nation's strength and openness. However, as the article points out, these events can't mask a country's deeper problems. Russia, despite hosting a major international event, has continued to face international criticism over human rights issues and its actions in Ukraine.

Ultimately, while sports can open doors and build relationships, they are not a substitute for genuine political and social reform. They can serve as a powerful first step, but lasting change requires addressing the fundamental issues that divide nations.

Read more about Vietnam’s Dilemma Of Relationship With The U.S.

Relationship of ASEAN and European Union

Until the year 2000 and 2001 the European Union had downplayed toward the ASEAN. Some policies of Brussels, Belgium made value over developing countries in Africa only; for example localities based in Caraibes and Pacific regions. European has enhanced relationship focused on economics and commerce only with the huge countries within high economic growth benefits such as South Korea, India and China.

But for over 10 years lately, the business sharing between European Union (EU) and the Association of South East Asia Nations(ASEAN) has been growing so that ASEAN become the biggest economic partner of EU implausibly. Today, EU is the second largest market place and EU is the ASEAN’s third business partner following United States and Japan.

In 2000 Brussels of Belgium in European Union has started to realize that ASEAN consists of potential economics out of natural resources, outnumbered population which involved in commerce transactions or economic activities and because of the deficit of business balance of EU in term of the European nations ordered to purchase goods much more than selling to those ASEAN nations.

Since then Belgium shifted to pivot its policy changing in term of streamlining ties and presence of European Union toward based in Asia regions. The EU commission has been encouraging EU companies coming to invest business projects in some countries of ASEAN in term of relationship enhancement. Yet EU has signed off to accept the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia called TAC and now EU has been negotiating with ASEAN so that to establish a free mutual commerce zone.

In spit of there is a relationship of EU and ASEAN,as of today the EU and ASEAN have apparently downplayed their partnership yet even some better relationships are recognized for instance the joint biannual meeting of the both parties was only made at the foreign ministerial level. There has never been a mutual meeting among the heads of state of EU and ASEAN yet. Sometimes, they notice that the meeting between EU and ASEAN has been presence of secretary of states.

Such behavior of EU has been recognized as much pay attention strictly on human rights or democratization for example EU used to slap economic sanctions on Burma. As of ASEAN cares only the economic benefits and not intent to interfere in other ASEAN’s members national internal affairs.

EU and ASEAN should come together closer in order to reach the consensus that the both blocs used to experience the same pasts including the then-colonial histories of territorial occupation in the long years. The European Union should be a prototype of the upcoming ASEAN economic integration so that the ASEAN community could adapt EU’s integration.

Therefore EU and ASEAN must enhance relationship for the sake of the huge benefits of both blocs including geopolitics.

Read more about ASEAN Economic Community Integration 2015

Rural Community Farming Needs Water

Taking a glimpse at a drought situation of the remote areas during the dry season, they could realize the farmer’s hardship. A nation of Southeast Asia for example [Cambodia] within most of the people is farmers depending on agriculture but the rural areas looked dry so it is very difficult for the farmer to survive.

Lacking of water is the pressing concern for rural community development at remote areas. As of other nations which are plenty of water, the landscape is green therefore they can cultivate both in the rainy season and dry season but in a country lacks water so the farmers left their rice field empty during the dry season until the rainy season comes. Sometimes, it is not a regular time for the coming of the rainy season. Over that time, farmers were hit by floods or drought consequently. Climate change is also the matter to put pressure on agricultural cultivation on which the country depends on rainfalls.

Community people do not have adequate water not only for farming but also for daily use. On the other hand, a poor country which lack of infrastructure, for example, bridge, road, school, hospital. So many people move to a town to seek for a job or continue their studying due to employment in small and medium enterprises and higher education place are located in the town. Some students decided to drop school because they need to help their parents in farming or making income.

Farming of rural community people is based on water source so if without water they do not have work to do. That is why the community people always migrate to find another work for generating income to support living condition which this migration is the most hazardous concern.

Even though, the government prioritizes water matter in its national policy. Yet there is no guarantee the availability of water for both in the dry season and rainy season across the nation. In this case, the government must pay more attention to this policy related to water resource availability to the farmers in the rural community areas.

Of course it is focused on both agricultural investment project and effective water resource management. However, in some areas, there has been plenty of outnumbered water staged flood but sooner and later these areas become dry staged rice become fruitless due to drought. This reveals the bad management of local authority in charge of the agriculture sector to control rural community water resources.

It is very critical to invest agricultural sector for the national staple production in which populations are predominantly farmers working based on agriculture. So the government with the partnership of non-governmental organizations has to strive to make remote areas becoming the green rice field so that to help community people generating their income and improve the quality of living.

In addition, they can reduce poverty of local people and prevent the any risky migration. The government basically pays attention to ensuring that farmers have adequate water and plot of land size for cultivation [social concession land policy.] And that is the accountability of the government.

Environmental Pollution Hurts Community

In the past decades, they almost never heard the words of environmental pollution or environment-friendly protection but later these words were used in society. In addition, the governments established the Ministry of Environment for other developing countries. After the establishment of this Ministry, the mainstream or raise awareness about environmental air and water pollution with its cause of pollution and concerns to the community citizens.

In the countries which administer a free market economy consists of many factories. The existence of a factory is a good sign of national economics and the creation of employment. However, while the presence of many factories the environmental pollution obsesses the government because they must face issues of environmental pollution from the factory industry.

We used to hear the complaints of the community people who raised about the environmental pollution of the factories which flow the sewage which are aggregate impacts over the community livelihood. Other factories have been polluting smug or thunderous sound (noise). These complaints are stemming from the economic activity in terms of environmental pollution of the industry onto the community.

The environmental issue is the pressing concern which people and governments are facing for example activities of the population growth, burning fuels, fossil, mine exploitation, deforestation, water contamination, air pollution, solid waste disposal. Literally, there are four main types of environmental pollution:

1- Water Pollution: through the water waste.
2- Solid Pollution: for instance the medical solid waste disposal.
3- Air Pollution: Smoking or smug from the industrial factories.
4- Noise Pollution: making a loud noise which is beyond the permission from the Ministry of Environment.

The worst environment-polluted nations in the world 2013 are known that had affected population around 200 million people were suffered directly from this current pollution including Indonesia, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and the other five nations. This pollution is recognized as the worst environmental pollution which derives from mine exploitation, removal of sewage from the house and industrial factory in the town and chemical leakage into the water bodies as well. Based on research, the environmental pollution ensues affect the civilian’s health including pneumonia, diarrhea, cancers, cough or make a fetus being born prematurely. Pollution is also the source of climate change on our planet.

The socioeconomic experts described that the above pollution aftermaths have been increasingly deteriorating from year to year due to economic operating activities in a poor country or local communities. Some environmental pollutions have prolonged the conflict between industry owners and community people without any resolution.

Therefore, in order to avoid the possible complaints between community people and industry owners, all relevant ministries like the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Industry must take strictly action prior to letting industry sectors to operate at any place so that to preserve the green world.

ASEAN Economic Community Integration 2016

In the upcoming 2016 year will arrive shortly, the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) which comprises of 10 countries will be coming more closer for the purpose of economics community under the same umbrella in terms of the single community for one destiny.

Whenever the ASEAN becomes the ASEAN Economic Community so the member states will increase economics and challenge integration. At that time, the 10 countries freely open the flow of commercial operation, goods, human resources, employment and capital from one country to another. As of the population of ASEAN are able to freely move for seeking for employment based upon their capacity merely hold an identification card.

They note that among the 10, Cambodia may receive a small benefit from the economic ASEAN integration and it may encounter difficulties over employment sector based on its limited human resources challenge.

The social researchers feel that community economic integration shall be opened a free employment market by 2015, Cambodian is singled out that the population can receive a small benefit and take time longer to get this benefit. Mostly of benefits are received by the rich people and those who have the ability to locally and internationally take challenge through investment and company establishment. Many youths shall lose the opportunity of employment while this nation [Cambodia] has yet not been carried out immigration law effectively because of the foreign investors always take part with the local company as business partners (effective immigration law enforcement).

The social researchers added that Cambodians still be high poor basically for those who live in the remote areas are hard to access the chance for benefiting from the integration so the government must pay more attention to them and help to improve their condition of living to brace for the upcoming community economic integration by 2015.

The upcoming ASEAN economic integration may help a population of the nations to have the opportunities working in either country among the 10 so that they can also exchange experiences and learning from each other based on nation’s population knowledge and skill.

ASEAN was created in 1967 and the member states include Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Lao, Cambodia, and Burma. Now Japan, China, the United States, India, Australia and the United Nations are the Association for the South East Asia Nations’s partners. ASEAN has about 610 million populations. A population of Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia consist of high capacity human resources so that they can earn revenue over ten thousand to fifty thousand dollars every year in the midst of Cambodian can earn only about one thousand dollars per year (2013).

Because of Cambodian education system is still limited [ similar to Burma and Lao]so the youth of this country are not capable of challenging with other youth of ASEAN nations like Singapore, or Vietnam. The education system of Cambodia is notorious for corruption while taking the exam. That is the concern to brace for community economic integration.

However, Cambodia can take advantages far less than disadvantages and it takes time to get advantages during the ASEAN community integration in light of the goods are duty free enable to lose the national budget, the flow of population to come to work in this country and other challenges if this nation’s government does not sharp its effort and human resources.

ASEAN can be melted by the following factors:
1. completely different political system (presidential system, system of the monarchy and the political party system)

2. ASEAN countries gap are too high among ASEAN members—the average, the poor and the rich (inequitable competition and there is no principle for mutual assistance)

3. The principle of non-interference (ASEAN Heads offended wantonly that other members could not open his mouth to speak up)

4. The principle of unanimous decision-making (the joint announcement at the ASEAN Summit could not be released)

5. Some ASEAN members do not comply with international human rights principles, nor conform with world standards

6. Other factors, for example, the great powers influence to other ASEAN members in the regional conflicts of interest issues and the whole world. Case Study Sample of the Soviet Union and the Arab League have been completely melted and partly due to different economic and political systems, the influence of other great powers on the members of a single community. Previously, nobody thought that the Berlin Wall was the most robust totally collapsed.

Read more about Relationship of ASEAN and European Union

Behavior Of Patron Relationship Blocks Social Development

There are many issues in the community which has been lingering without any resolution or being ignored. Those problems are mainly are stemming from the accomplice.

While the rich and powerful person wants to buy a plot of land they always process through the local authority to get legal documents so that to receive a commission. Because of getting remuneration or commission so the local authority tries the best even they violate the civilian rights or defy the law. That is why there are many overlapped land title may lead to litigation or complaints came from the document process. There are complaints related to the concession land that is also happening from the accomplice in this documentation process. The land social concession land is the pressing concern of the rural community people and civil society organization.

Generally, the culture of network accomplice enables the bad businesspeople a good chance easily. It is a chance for the higher-up uses it as a backup for private companies in return for receiving a commission or benefit. Those companies can operate illicit activity and while the issue takes place they are not able to resolve it. Yet, the accomplice effects to the government’s service delivery including goods quality control, inspection on sectors, building’s structure supervision.

Accomplice’s activity may lead to harrowing corruption and this corruption is not tackled easily. Corruption is the source of the national budget and donor’s fund embezzlement. Even some development project s were bid obviously but the corruption still be present in this development project’s fund of donors because of manipulation of the accomplice which they just set up bidding for cheating only; for example a corruption in the project of health so that it deteriorates health service delivery to the community access.

Constant illegal business-running of luxury wood could not be taken action in light of such accomplice’s habit. They have harmony among businesspeople, local authority, judicial police, forest cantonment and court to incorporate and turn a blind eye to any offense.

It seems to become simply the habit of accomplices related to the public networks include national and sub-national institutions. This habit of such accomplice is not only tarnishing the national fame but also the government’s policy, especially in the eyes of international donors and investors based in the country. There never have critical investors ensued from such a habit of the accomplice.

The elimination of the accomplice is tantamount to the removal of the barrier for national development. It is not a kind of easy task because of a deep mindset of an accomplice who receives benefits from his/her habit but if this habit still exists it could not help the progress of development for the developing nations. 

Read more about The Review of Accomplishment Meeting of NGOs and Government

A Wave of Protest Indicates Democracy

There has a series of demonstration and strike of the people on which displays the chronicle social issues in everywhere for instance Spring. It is the social crisis in which through this demonstration could be seen as some positive points in term of democracy that is growing in the society.

In other words, many issues which have been happening in the current society reflect the backdrop of democracy fostering. It refers to some worker free union rallies, influential independent media, civil society activities involved actively to enable community people have open mind than ever.

Therefore, both private sectors and government institution must keep up the situation to cope with problems with staff and workers under your supervision well. Otherwise, demonstration and strike will be happening. In this context, the institutions should change old behavior necessary; it means that they are using the influence to violate others, habit of ignorance for subordinate staff’s idea and exploitation of staff.

They can use this habit to influence only if the staff does not realize their rights exercising but while democracy is growing so the powerful human supervision is no more effective. So the institutional leaders should change their leadership from influential management into coordination so that to deal with problems as possible as. Flexibility manner in order to keep up with development is not quite difficult for leaders who are aware of social situation but not for those who are presidents of the departments being old-fashioned in social development.

Democratic nations, staff and laborers are not the slave of employer or presidents of the department but they are thriving parts of the institution or company they serve for. Further, they have rights which protected by inalienable law and they have an inviolable right to protection by a fair legal system. Demonstration and strike are the legal best ways for protecting their rights.

Department presidents and employers should be understandable about this issue at the first. By contradiction, the laborers and staff seem realize to exercise their rights primarily. Even, through demonstration or strike reflect the fledgling democracy but it still at stake because of violence risk. Then all relevant stakeholders and parties strive to promote democracy for the sake of society.

Read more about Democracy Status in South East Asia