The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a miracle. Why?In an era of growing cultural pessimism, many thoughtful individuals believe that different civilisations-especially Islam and the West-cannot live together in peace. The ten countries of ASEAN provide a thriving counter-example of civilizational co-existence. Here 625m people live together in peace. This miracle was delivered by ASEAN.In an era of growing economic pessimism, where many young people believe that their lives will get worse in coming decades, Southeast Asia bubbles with optimism. In an era where many thinkers predict rising geopolitical competition and tension, ASEAN regularly brings together all the world's great powers.Stories of peace are told less frequently than stories of conflict and war. ASEAN's imperfections make better headlines than its achievements. But in the hands of thinker and writer Kishore Mahbubani, the good news story is also a provocation and a challenge to the rest of the world.This excellent book explains, in clear and simple terms, how and why ASEAN has become one of the most successful regional organizations in the world. - George YeoA powerful and passionate account of how, against all odds, ASEAN transformed the region and why Asia and the world need it even more today. - Amitav Acharya

Critically examines ASEAN's human rights system in the context of Southeast Asian political-legal developments and the global human rights discourse

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?

Forty years after the Bangkok Declaration, which established the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a new document was drafted as a result of “bold and visionary recommendations” of an ASEAN Committee of Eminent Persons. The ASEAN Charter, which came into force in 2008, provides ASEAN’s legal status and institutional framework. In effect, it is a legally binding agreement among the 10 ASEAN Member States. In many respects, however, the Charter is more important as an aspirational document. Written by one of the persons involved in the negotiations leading to the adoption of the Charter, this meticulously researched publication helps readers navigate the ambiguities of the Charter by detailing an insider’s background, provision by provision, of the debates that went into the making of the ASEAN Charter. It not only explains how the provisions of the Charter came to be drafted, but also how they relate to the realities of diplomatic practice. This volume will be an indispensable reference for scholars, working diplomats, and businesses and institutions that have a stake in ASEAN. "The ASEAN Charter is a commitment for us to become a rules-based community. It is time for us, especially the weaker countries among us, to be ruled by law rather than by political whim, national interest or military power. Walter Woon's work will be a major contribution to that end." - Rodolfo C. Severino, former Secretary-General of ASEAN (1998-2002) "Prof Walter Woon and I represented Singapore in the High-Level Task Force which drafted the ASEAN Charter; he is the ideal author for such a commentary on the Charter. This should be read by everyone interested in ASEAN." - Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore

On 28 July 2008, the ASEAN Studies Centre and the Regional Economic Studies Programme, both of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung organized a roundtable on The ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint. The brainstorming session gathered Southeast Asian experts from the region to discuss the AEC Blueprint, which ASEANs leaders had adopted at their summit meeting in November 2007, and the prospects of any obstacles to its implementation by the target year, 2015. The roundtable started with a progress report on the AEC Blueprint given by S. Pushpanathan, Principal Director of Economic Integration and Finance, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta. Thereafter, the sessions examined the various aspects of the Blueprint tackling the non-tariff barriers, designing a comprehensive ASEAN Investment Agreement, a regional framework for competition policy, the role of infrastructure development in economic integration, the importance of international production networks in economic integration, etc.

Drawing on the fields of political economy and historical sociology, Jones dispels the overwhelming consensus among scholars that members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) never interfere in the internal affairs of other states, and pioneers a new approach to the understanding of regional politics in Southeast Asia.

Examines the rapidly expanding economic relations between ASEAN and China in recent years, covering trade, investments, economic challenges, competition and opportunities in the various sectors of the two economies.