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RobertoRabel,KieranIreland
beginningwithSingapore’sspectacularsuccessstoryandfollowedtovaryingextents
byothers,albeitwithnotablelaggards.
Throughoutthepasthalf-century’svicissitudes,ASEANplayedaroleinsetting
theregiononapeacefulandmoreeconomicallyrobusttrajectory.Itsmostsingularsuccess
wasthegradualbutseeminglyineluctableprocessthroughwhichASEANembraced
almostallSoutheastAsiannations.Bruneijoinedin1984,followedbyVietnamin1995,
LaosandMyanmarin1997,andCambodiain1999.EvenTimor-Leste,onceasource
ofintra-regionaltension,isamember-in-waiting.
CriticshavehabituallydismissedASEANasado-nothingtalkshop,positingthat
the4ASEANWay’ofconsensusandnon-interferenceindomesticaffairsrendersthe
organisationeffectivelyimpotent.However,SoutheastAsiastandsoutasapositive
modelforvirtuallyeliminatingintra-regionalconflict.AsIndonesianForeignMinister
RetnoMarsudiputitinananniversaryreflection,4ASEANhasestablishedanecosystem
ofpeaceandprosperityfortheregion’.10
Inparticular,ASEANisdistinctiveintheAsia-Pacificastheonlysignificantorga-
nisationthatincorporatesallmembersofasub-regionharmoniously.Ithasachieved
collectivestabilitynotwithstandingindividualmembers’weaknesses-providingjust
enoughcohesionandstructuretomitigateintra-regionalfrictionswithoutelicitingserious
complaintsfromnationalcitizenriesofanoverreachingASEANSecretariatintrudinginto
theirlives(unliketheEU,wherecomplaintsaboundofrulebyaBrussels4Eurocracy’).
11
Thelight-touch,slow-moving4ASEANWay’hasalignedwiththeneedsandambitions
ofitsmembernationsandsocieties-creatingamodusvivendiwhichtreatsallstatesas
equalsintheregionalorganisationwhilefendingofftheintrusionsfromoutsidepowers
thathadprovensocostlyfromthecolonialerathroughtheworldwarsandtheColdWar.
12
ASEANhasnotonlyprovidedcentralitywithininitsownregionbuthasalsoclaimed
thatmantleinwiderAsia-Pacificaffairs.Overtime,ASEANhasbecomethepivot
aroundwhichwiderregionaldialoguesrevolve.
13
Ifthereisanydiscernibleregional
architectureintheAsia-Pacific,ASEANistheskeletononwhichithangsthrough
10
4KeynoteSpeechbyH.E.Retno,L.P.MarsudiMinisterofForeignAffairs,RepublicOfIndonesia
attheASEAN50InternationalConference,Jakarta,19July2017’,https://www.kemlu.go.id/id/pidato/
menlu/Documents/Keynote%20Speech%20by%20Minister%20Retno%20LP%20Marsudi%20-%20The%20
ASEAN%2050%20International%20Conference%20-%2019%20July%202017.pdf(accessedon18September
2017).ForasimilarassessmentofASEAN’s4transformative’impactbyaformerIndonesianMinister
ofForeignAffairs,see:R.M.MartyNatalegewa,4TheExpansionofASEANandtheChangingDynamics
ofSoutheastAsia’,ContemporarySoutheastAsia,August2017,Vol.39,No.2,p.232.
11
F.Mattheis,U.Wunderlich,4RegionalActornessandInterregionalRelations:ASEAN,theEU,and
Mercosur’,JournalofEuropeanIntegration,2017,Vol.39,No.6,pp.727-728;T.Chalermpalanupap,4No
BrexitRepeatinASEAN’,TheDiplomat,28June2016,http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/no-brexit-repeat-
in-asean/(accessedon27July2017).
12
M.Caballero-Anthony,4UnderstandingASEAN’scentrality:basesandprospectsinanevolving
regionalarchitecture’,ThePacificReview,2014,Vol.27,No.4,p.569.
13
SeeS.Tan,4Rethinking“ASEANCentrality”intheRegionalGovernanceofEastAsia’,TheSingapore
EconomicReview,June2017,Vol.62,No.3,pp.726-727.
