What is ASEAN?

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (more commonly known as ASEAN) is a political
and economic organization aimed primarily at promoting economic growth and regional stability
among its members.

There are currently 10 member states: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand,
Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Why was it set up?

ASEAN was founded in 1967 by the five South-East Asian nations of Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. This was during the polarized atmosphere of the Cold
War, and the alliance aimed to promote stability in the region. Over time, the group expanded to
include its current 10 members.

Regional cooperation was further extended with the creation of the ASEAN Plus Three forum in
1997, which included China, South Korea and Japan. And then the East Asia Summit, which
began taking place in 2005 and has expanded to include India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia
and the United States.

Impact Of ASEAN on IB
This year marks the 49th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN). While starting as a loose coalition of developing countries, ASEAN is now
recognized as an increasingly capable regional and international player. ASEAN countries,
however, face a number of internal and external challenges, including social instability and
regional economic and military imbalances.

The ASEAN Charter, which will become legally binding at the end of this year, seeks to build a
more effective mechanism for cooperation and coordination among Southeast Asian countries to
address the pressures of globalization and the build-up of larger, non-ASEAN neighbors.

ASEAN manages tension- ASEAN is the body that links the trade of developed Asian Nations like
Taiwan, Korea & Japan with the emerging economies of SE Asia, it also the body that keeps
communications open between nations with simmering tensions like : Japan, Korea & China over
Islands in Sea of Japan or East Sea as well relations open over disputes in 9 Dash area of South
China Sea, between Malaysia / Borneo and the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand over the border,
Vietnam & China etc. ASEAN is the safety valve for regional pressure and it is not Chinese,
American, Russian, Indian although it has access to these nations via APEC and plus 3 to help
manage tensions.

ASEAN has influence in Beijing, Moscow, Tokyo, Seoul, Washington and Delhi that individual
nations could not hope to achieve. ASEAN is the key group within APEC and it is the preeminent
social, political and defense treaty and cooperation body in Asia.