The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is strategically significant because of its size, dynamism, and role in the Asian economic and security architectures. This paper examines how ASEAN seeks to strengthen these assets through "centrality" in intraregional and external policy decisions. It recommends a two-speed approach toward centrality in order to maximize regional incomes and benefit all member economies: first, selective engagement by ASEAN members in productive external partnerships and, second, vigorous policies to share gains across the region. This strategy has solid underpinnings in the Kemp-Wan theorem on trade agreements. It would warrant, for example, a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement with incomplete ASEAN membership, complemented with policies to extend gains across the region. The United States could support this framework by pursuing deep relations with some ASEAN members, while broadly assisting the region's development.

The initiative to establish the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community was adopted by the ten leaders at the 2003 Bali Summit in Indonesia. Since then, the concept of a community-building process in ASEAN has become an issue that attracts a great deal of attention from scholars and experts around the world. ASEAN Matters! Reflecting on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations carries essays with different perspectives on critical issues relating to the three pillars in building the ASEAN Community, namely the ASEAN Political and Security Community; the ASEAN Economic Community; and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. In a nutshell, this book provides broad and invaluable insights into the role ASEAN plays in enhancing peace, prosperity, and stability in the Southeast Asian region. Written in a highly accessible style, the contents include both a thorough review of current issues and a succinct overview of the past and future direction of ASEAN. The book reiterates the continued and strengthening relevance of ASEAN, 43 years after its founding. Unlike most other books on ASEAN, a majority of the essays are written by former professional staff at the ASEAN Secretariat, as well as from current office holders. This gives the volume a high degree of authenticity and unique insights. More interestingly, it also includes viewpoints from experts, scholars, diplomats and officials who either have extensive research knowledge or had been involved in ASEAN's external and economic relations with the dialogue partners, such as China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union (EU), among others. Contents:Foreword (Tommy Koh)Introduction (Lee Yoong Yoong)AcknowledgementsThe ContributorsASEAN's History, Image and Challenges:ASEAN: What It Cannot Do, What It Can and Should Do (Rodolfo C Severino)ASEAN's Potential and Role: A Review (Tran Duc Minh)The Promises and Contradictions of ASEAN (Liu Yanling)Can We Do Anything about the Unimplemented ASEAN Agreements? (Bernard K M Tai)ASEAN's Perception Problem (S Tiwari)ASEAN: The Challenge Is Upon Us (Bandol Lim)Covering ASEAN for Three Decades (Kavi Chongkittavorn)Three Decades of ASEAN Linkage: Brunei Darussalam, from 1984 Towards 2015 (Pushpa Thambipillai)ASEAN and East Timor: Family Someday? (Noordin Azhari)Politics and Security:ASEAN: A Pillar of Regional Stability (Johari Achee)Relevance of ASEAN in Forging Regional Peace, Security and Prosperity (Nicholas T Dammen)The Nargis Experience: Pragmatic Solutions Towards Change (Moe Thuzar)ASEAN Efforts in Dealing with Transnational Crime (Un Sovannasam)Economics:ASEAN Economic Integration: The Strategic Imperative (Ong Keng Yong)Overcoming the Obstacles: Increasing ASEAN Relevance in the Promotion of Regional Trade (David Martin)Trade Dispute Settlement within ASEAN (David Chin Soon Siong)From AFTA to Free Movement within ASEAN: A Bridge Too Far? (Lok Hwee Chong)ASEAN Integration Enters the Critical Stage: A Private Sector's Narrative (Tai Hui)The Germination of Asian Financial Security (Suthad Setboonsarng)Does ASEAN Benefit Business? (Raul L Cordenillo)ASEAN and Australia Partnership: Time for Business and People to Lead (Christopher Findlay & David Parsons)Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline: More than Just a Pipe Dream (Zainal Abidin Matassan & Lee Yoong Yoong)Encompassing the AEC Blueprint into ASEAN's Subregional Frameworks: A Commentary (Gary P Krishnan)Socio-Cultural:Population Ageing in ASEAN: Prospects and Implications (Kang Soon Hock & Yap Mui Teng)Making ASEAN Relevant to the Young (Diana Lee)ASEAN and Human Capital (Faizal Bin Yahya)The ASEAN Quest for Greater Engagement and Commitment (Braema Mathiaparanam)External Relations:Lao PDR's Role in ASEAN-China Trade Ties (H E Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh)ASEAN's Diplomatic Importance to China (Sheng Lijun)ASEAN as a Mover of Asian Regionalism (Akiko Fukushima)What I have Always Wondered about ASEAN: A Perspective from ROK (Lee Sun-Jin)India's Place and ASEAN's Primacy in the New East Asia (P S Suryanarayana)Reflections on Regionalism: The ASEAN Journey (Simon Murdoch)ASEAN and Latin America: Time for a Vibrant Connectivity (Paulo Alberto da Silveira Soares)Building a Strategic Partnership: A Review of Relations between ASEAN and the ILO (Ng Gek-Boo)The Future:The Future of ASEAN: Obsolescent or Resilient? (Amitav Acharya)How Can ASEAN Stay Relevant? (Joergen Oerstroem Moeller)ASEAN into the Future: Towards a Better Monitoring and Evaluation of Regional Co-operation Programmes (Azmi Mat Akhir)Strengthening the Foundation for an ASEAN Community (Wilfrido V Villacorta)GlossaryAnnex I: Press StatementIndex Readership: General public; academics; government officials; foreign affairs practitioners; regional economists. Keywords:ASEAN;ASEAN Community;Regional Integration;Regional Cooperation;Political and Security Community;Economic Community;Socio-Cultural Community;Community-Building;International Relations;International BusinessKey Features:Designed to appeal to intelligent lay readers as well as experts Offers a valuable reference source for researchers in academia and private sector

"This book is the result of a workshop of the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) held in July 2010"--P. ix.