Trade agreements, violent conflict and security

Introduction According to Article 5 of the 2007 treaty of EAC, one of the organisation's main goals is 'the promotion of peace, security, and stability within, and good neighborliness among, the Partner States'. Article 3 of the Central American Integration System's (SICA) 1991 Tegucigalpa Protocol lists 'the eradication of violence, corruption, terrorism, and trafficking in drugs and arms' as one of its fundamental objectives. One objective of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 1967 Bangkok Declaration is to 'promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter'. These are but three of the many examples of trade agreements that make a direct link between economic cooperation and integration, on the one hand, and peace, security and stability on the other. Furthermore, the rising number and prominence of these instruments (Baccini, Dür and Haftel, Chapter 7 in this volume) are accompanied by a widespread perception that they are indispensable in reducing frictions between their members. At the same time, their vision of how to promote regional security and the manners by which they are expected to achieve this goal are remarkably diverse. Several agreements, such as SAARC and SACU, are essentially designed to tackle economic affairs. Presumably, member states believe that cooperation on trade and development will produce economic benefits, familiarity and mutual trust, thereby preventing armed conflict.