ABSTRACT

Member states of ASEAN - the Association of South-East Asian Nations - have developed a distinctive approach to political and security co-operation, which builds on the principles of sovereign equality, non-intervention and non-interference, quiet diplomacy, mutual respect, and the principle of not involving ASEAN in mediating bilateral disputes among the membership.
This book examines the origins of ASEAN's diplomatic and security culture and analyses how over time its key principles have been practised and contested as ASEAN states have responded to regional conflicts as well as challenges posed by the major regional powers, ASEAN's enlargement, and the Asian financial crisis. The book goes on to assess whether ASEAN's diplomatic and security culture is likely to remain salient as the political, economic and security context in which regional leaderships operate is undergoing further change.

chapter |15 pages

Introduction

chapter |16 pages

Early origins of the ‘ASEAN way'

The struggle for respect and sovereignty

chapter |20 pages

Post-war origins of the ‘ASEAN way'

From estrangement and conflict to regional reconciliation and accommodation

chapter |29 pages

ZOPFAN and the ASEAN Regional Forum

The extramural dimension of ASEAN's struggle for security and recognition

chapter |31 pages

The Cambodian conflict and the ‘ASEAN way'

The struggle for a pristine interpretation of principles

chapter |27 pages

China's relations with ASEAN

Challenging or reinforcing the ‘ASEAN way'?

chapter |26 pages

The concept of flexible engagement and the practice of enhanced interaction

Intramural challenges to the ‘ASEAN way'

chapter |23 pages

ASEAN's diplomatic and security culture after the Hanoi Summit

Has ‘old' thinking been dominating ‘new’ practices?

chapter |20 pages

Conclusion

On the prospects for ASEAN's diplomatic and security culture