From ASEAN Six to ASEAN Ten: Issues and Prospects

Abstract

From the Bangkok Declaration of 1967, successive generations of ASEAN leaderships have envisaged the organization to he a regional, rather than a sub-regional, one. But in the past, opportun ities to build a truly region-wide order had always been constrained by exigencies of the Cold War and the various regional conflicts. With the end of the Cold War, prospects for deepening and ex panding ASEAN co-operation have emerged. Nevertheless, there are a number of problems and issues, both actual and potential, which act or may act as constraints of varying severity upon the process of expanding ASEAN membership from six to ten, allowing Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar to join the organization and making it a truly regional one. Here, it is argued that, while these problems and issues should not be underestimated, they are not, and should not be considered, reasons for ASEAN to abandon its doctrinal commitment to transfer itself into a region-wide body. The existence of these constraints merely raises questions concerning the timing, conditions and modalities of expansion, which will accomplish ASEAN's historic mission of making Southeast Asia one.