Regional Integration as a Mechanism for Human Rights Regimes in Central Asia

Abstract

This thesis conducts a comparative analysis of regional integration processes in the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as examines the economic, cultural, and political dynamics that promote or hinder supranational human rights protection regimes, which might give some clues on the process of integration in Central Asia. The EU is the benchmark for strong integration, while ASEAN demonstrates restrained cooperation based on consensus norms, and Central Asia demonstrates stalled progress against the backdrop of post-Soviet sovereignty priorities. Thus, the main goal is to determine how much the integration paths of these regions coincide or diverge when creating mandatory human rights protection mechanisms capable of going beyond State sovereignty. The analysis shows that the EU's robust human rights architecture is the result of a neo-functionalist approach, according to which economic interdependence (from the ECSC to the single market) requires the creation of supranational institutions, such as the European Court of Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, based on shared liberal values and democratic commitments of the Member States. Conversely, ASEAN's limited human rights framework, as embodied in the AICHR and the “ASEAN Way”, prioritizes non-interference and economic complementarity rather than binding norms, leading to informal progress without prejudice to sovereignty. Disparate efforts in Central Asia (for example, the EAEU, the C5+1 initiatives) fail due to authoritarian preferences, external influences, and weak cultural cohesion, despite economic potential such as the Middle Corridor. Using qualitative individual comparisons and analysis of historical documents, trade data, and institutional evolution, the study tests the hypothesis that interdependent economic, cultural, and political factors underlie effective regimes. The results confirm the success of the EU due to the full alignment of the triads, the partial achievements of ASEAN and the shortcomings of Central Asia, especially in terms of political will. Ultimately, the thesis concludes that the EU's mechanisms differ markedly from the ASEAN and Central Asian models in these aspects, advocating individual hybrid approaches combining economic impact, normative dialogue, and reform incentives to promote the integration of human rights in sovereignty-oriented contexts such as Central Asia.