Asean in need of directions

Let’s talk briefly about Asean. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was formed nearly half a century ago against a backdrop of worsening armed conflicts primary in the Indo-Chinese peninsula. The primary fear then was that the possible fall of South Vietnam into communist hands would precipitate a “domino effect” that would sweep through Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and even the Philippines – all Southeast Asian nations saddled with domestic communist insurgencies to various degrees – and bring down their existing governments one by one, or even simultaneously.

So the idea of Asean was at first a more strategically oriented one, a not too heavy-handed attempt at “pooling” together the defense capabilities of its initial five members for mutual assistance in case of strategic emergencies. There were, of course, other similar but more explicitly defense-focused mechanisms that were either already in existence (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, SEATO) or about to emerge (Five Powers Defense Arrangement in 1971), but these others were mostly driven by foreign powers such as the United States or the United Kingdom. Asean was the first substantial Asian regional grouping that was initiated from within its member states.