ABSTRACT
Chapter 13, ASEAN, assesses the history, aspirations, and prospects of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The chapter opens with a study of the Cold War origins of ASEAN and previous attempts at regional organization. The chapter details ASEAN’s 1967 founding by five pro-Western governments and the body’s subsequent post-Cold War membership enlargement to include post-conflict and communist governments. Examined in the chapter are ASEAN’s evolving trade arrangements within its own membership and trade arrangements with non-members outside the region. Also assessed is the body’s 2015 formalization into a corporate entity fully recognized under international law in as the “ASEAN Community” (akin to the European Union). Specific assessment throughout the chapter is made of the body’s held principles, known as the “ASEAN Way” (i.e. decision-making via diplomatic consensus, strict noninterference in the domestic affairs of fellow members, and antipathy toward Western legalism). Examining ASEAN’s record of action and inaction, the chapter demonstrates how adherence to the “ASEAN Way” sorely impedes the body’s effectiveness in addressing the challenges of human rights, political development, and external security facing the region. Laid bare is ASEAN’s poor record defending the political rights, civil liberties, and basic needs of everyday Southeast Asians. Lastly, ASEAN’s prospects going forward are assessed from a critical perspective.
