Southeast Asia and ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) is an organization of political and economic character founded in 1967 by the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillippines, Singapore and Thailand. Nowadays, its members are:

• The five founding countries
• Brunei
• Vietnam
• Laos
• Burma (Myanmar)
• Cambodia

Therefore, ASEAN is integrated by all the countries in the region defined by the UN as Southeast Asia -with the exception of East Timor, whose admission has been delayed various times. A feasibility study has been taking place for 7 years now; previously to that, its inclusion into the organization had been denied arguing political instability, weak economic infrastructure and insufficient human resources.

ASEAN flag. Source: geopolitica.ru

What is curious about ASEAN is that it represents a somewhat "artificial" region: as mentioned in previous posts, the countries that form it are quite plural in its cultural, religious, or political nature. The existence of ASEAN, consequently, is more probably rooted in a strategy to increase its members' visibility in the globe and in an acknowledgement that joining forces is what works best in the international system. Chou and Houben (2006) have argued that, in a world where engaging efforts seems to be the growing approach to gaining strength and world presence, "a Southeast Asian regional identity through the ASEAN in particular is becoming more and more self-evident" (p.11).