ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the nature of the regional orders in East Asia and South-East Asia and how, in broad terms, they inform the potential for political-security regionalism. It discusses the levels of political-security regionalism to date through various institutions including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit. The chapter focuses on this analysis by examining: the level of regionalism in the economic sphere; the implications of economic regionalism and dependencies for ASEAN unity; and the potential for institutional reform that might facilitate greater resilience from domestic and international challenges. It argues that there is some prospect for economic and non-traditional security co-operation to advance. Regionalism has advanced the most within the economic sphere for both South-East Asia and East Asia. In the absence of significant institutional reforms, ASEAN unity is likely to become further imperilled as alternative economic and strategic alignments continue to be consolidated.
