ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how the sometimes disparate states of Southeast Asia function collectively, notably through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with its evolving membership. Within this, the character of individual states and their leaders and proposed regional agreements, such as the free trade agreement, inuence the character of the region as a bloc (or otherwise) in other international forums and in relation to external challenges. This has particular importance in relation to China’s encroachment in the South China Sea and reassertion of regional power, the ‘pivot’ of the United States back towards the Asia-Pacic region, and the role of other major powers such as Russia and India; and in response to domestic challenges such as Islamist terrorism, unregulated population ows and other regional security issues.
