Enhancing the ASEAN Way: Integrating international law into local initiatives in the ASEAN

Abstract

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional organization of countries aiming to promote amity and international cooperation between its member states. It seeks to build a mutually beneficial community supported by three pillars: political-security, economic, and sociocultural. The goal of the ASEAN is primarily economic in nature: improving the mobility of goods and services within the region as well as facilitating trade with external partners. The ASEAN was never meant to be a unitary political body similar to the United States or the European Union, hence the ASEAN Way: its emphasis on nonintervention in sovereign affairs and consensus-building. Because of this, the ASEAN remains a mere potential to be a global force for change, particularly in areas of pressing regional concern like international environmental law and transnational criminal law, among others. This paper forwards recommendations for transforming the ASEAN into more than just an economic community; rather, the ASEAN should be a leader of social change in the global setting. This paper focuses on cementing the ASEAN Way through more binding multilateral agreements, integrating various aspects of international law into meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It does so through the perspective of citizen engagement, particularly youth empowerment, in order to rally regional political support for these initiatives. It concludes that for successful development in the region to take place, law and governance must be inclusive for all.