Member states of ASEAN - the Association of South-East Asian Nations - have developed a distinctive approach to political and security co-operation, which builds on the principles of sovereign equality, non-intervention and non-interference, quiet diplomacy, mutual respect, and the principle of not involving ASEAN in mediating bilateral disputes among the membership. This book examines the origins of ASEAN's diplomatic and security culture and analyses how over time its key principles have been practised and contested as ASEAN states have responded to regional conflicts as well as challenges posed by the major regional powers, ASEAN's enlargement, and the Asian financial crisis. The book goes on to assess whether ASEAN's diplomatic and security culture is likely to remain salient as the political, economic and security context in which regional leaderships operate is undergoing further change.

Member states of ASEAN - the Association of South-East Asian Nations - have developed a distinctive approach to political and security co-operation, which builds on the principles of sovereign equality, non-intervention and non-interference, quiet diplomacy, mutual respect, and the principle of not involving ASEAN in mediating bilateral disputes among the membership. This book examines the origins of ASEAN's diplomatic and security culture and analyses how over time its key principles have been practised and contested as ASEAN states have responded to regional conflicts as well as challenges posed by the major regional powers, ASEAN's enlargement, and the Asian financial crisis. The book goes on to assess whether ASEAN's diplomatic and security culture is likely to remain salient as the political, economic and security context in which regional leaderships operate is undergoing further change.

Written by the highly regarded diplomat Marty Natalegawa, former ambassador and foreign minister of Indonesia, this book offers a unique insider-perspective on the present and future relevance of ASEAN. It is about ASEAN’s quest for security and prosperity in a region marked by complex dynamics of power. Namely, the interplay of relations and interests among countries — large and small — which provide the settings within which ASEAN must deliver on its much-cited leadership and centrality in the region. The book seeks to answer the following questions: How can ASEAN build upon its past contributions to the peace, security and prosperity of Southeast Asia, to the wider East Asia, the Asia-Pacific and the Indo-Pacific regions? More fundamentally and a sine qua non, how can ASEAN continue to ensure that peace, security and prosperity prevail in Southeast Asia? And, equally central, how can ASEAN become more relevant to the peoples of ASEAN, such that its contributions can be genuinely felt in making better the lives of its citizens?

This book offers the most comprehensive analysis yet of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which remains the foremost dialogue forum for the promotion of cooperative security in the Asia-Pacific. Contributors focus on the perspectives and roles of the key players in the ARF – ASEAN, the United States, China, Japan, and Australia – and discuss to what extent these participants have shaped the Forum's institutional development and affected its achievements and prospects against the backdrop of the evolving regional security architecture. They also examine in depth how participants have used the Forum to respond to a range of important transnational security issues and challenges, including terrorism and maritime security, as well as disaster relief. This work also explores how, despite the difficulties in reaching a new consensus regarding the collective pursuit of preventive diplomacy, some activist participants have succeeded in bringing about a notable, albeit incipient, 'practical turn' in the ARF’s security cooperation. This book will appeal to students of South-East Asian Politics, Asian Security Studies and International Relations in general.

Focuses on the differences and similarities in regional integration levels and processes in Europe and East Asia, to examine how the long-term future, role and impact of organizations such as the EU and ASEAN may depend heavily on how well they deal with complex and conflict-laden issues.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Examining how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) has responded to external threats over the past 50 years, this book provides a compelling account of regional state actions and foreign policy in the face of potential sovereignty violation. The author draws on a large amount of previously unanalysed material, including declassified government documents and WikiLeaks cables, to examine four key cases since 1975. Taking into account state interests and the role of external powers, the author develops the ‘vanguard state theory’ to explain ASEAN state responses to sovereignty violation, which, it is argued, has universal applicability and explanatory power.

This book examines the key motivations for and challenges to greater regional integration in Southeast Asia. It demonstrates how security and economic concerns -domestic, regional and international - have either contributed to, or detracted from, an increased level of unity and cooperation in ASEAN. It also explores how the patterns of interaction and socialization generated by these issues, together with the nature of domestic political systems, have affected the emergence of common values, norms and interests. It covers the full range of issues confronting ASEAN at present, and the full range of ASEAN countries, and discusses both developments in ASEAN to date and also likely future developments.

Ch. 23. Encompassing the AEC blueprint into ASEAN's subregional frameworks : A commentary / Gary P. Krishnan -- Theme 4. Socio-cultural. ch. 24. Population ageing in ASEAN : Prospects and implications / Kang Soon Hock and Yap Mui Teng. ch. 25. Making ASEAN relevant to the young / Diana Lee. ch. 26. ASEAN and human capital / Faizal Bin Yahya. ch. 27. The ASEAN quest for greater engagement and commitment / Braema Mathiaparanam -- Theme 5. External relations. ch. 28. Lao PDR's role in ASEAN-China trade ties / H.E. Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh. ch. 29. ASEAN's diplomatic importance to China / Sheng Lijun. ch. 30. ASEAN as a mover of Asian regionalism / Akiko Fukushima. ch. 31. What I have always wondered about ASEAN : A perspective from ROK / Lee Sun-Jin. ch. 32. India's place and ASEAN's primacy in the New East Asia / P.S. Suryanarayana. ch. 33. Reflections on regionalism : The ASEAN journey / Simon Murdoch. ch. 34. ASEAN and Latin America : Time for a vibrant connectivity / Paulo Alberto da Silveira Soares. ch. 35. Building a strategic partnership : A review of relations between ASEAN and the ILO / Ng Gek-Boo -- Theme 6. The future. ch. 36. The future of ASEAN : Obsolescent or resilient? / Amitav Acharya. ch. 37. How Can ASEAN stay relevant? / Joergen Oerstroem Moeller. ch. 38. ASEAN into the future : Towards a better monitoring and evaluation of regional co-operation programmes / Azmi Mat Akhir. ch. 39. Strengthening the foundation for an ASEAN community / Wilfrido V. Villacorta