For the vast majority, a day without ASEAN
would look very much like any other day.
Farmers would tend their crops, factories
would continue humming, and elevators
would continue shuttling workers up and
down towers of glass and steel. Were ASEAN
to disappear for a day, its loss would be scarcely
noticeable – and therein lies the ultimate
testament to its importance to the region.
This is because ASEAN’s work has been
wrought over generations, rather than a day, a
week, or even a decade. The bloc’s mechanisms
of non-binding, non-interventionist
multilateral discourse have over the years
provided a platform for member states to
defuse disagreements without the threat of
rigid, formal censure. In this way, the grouping
has served as a bastion against war, vouchsafing
peace in the region despite deep-seated
cultural, territorial and political differences.
“A day without ASEAN
would look very much like
any other day...”
But just because our hard-won coexistence
cannot be easily undone does not mean it
will never happen. ASEAN faces mounting
threats to its stability that may grow severe,
given time and the opportunity to fester.
The interests of fellow member-states are
increasingly being weighed against lucrative
international investment ties with countries
beyond the region. Volatile ideological shifts
may furthermore act to ratchet up tensions.
While a day without ASEAN may not
have immediate consequences, a decade of
ASEAN in decline threatens the stability of all
the region. Those of my generation, who have
not experienced the crucible of suspicion and
anxiety in which ASEAN was forged, may take
its member states’ fraternal bonds for granted,
and fail to proactively upkeep them. Without a
shared commitment to peace among our next
generation of leaders, the day without ASEAN
may yet come to pass – but it is what comes
after that which should most concern us. agGareth Tan
Policy Research Analyst,
Singapore Institute of International AffairsASEAN always functions best in times of
crisis. In fact, ASEAN started because so many
countries in the region were on the verge of
war with one another. In particular, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines
struggled to come to terms with new borders
and regions that were the legacy of colonial
powers after the end of World War II. ASEAN
was conceived as a neutral platform for leaders
to come together and discuss issues before they
became full-blown conflicts. And it has worked.
In today’s turbulent world, there are
increasingly grave risks for any small or
medium-sized country that tries to stand on
its own. Risks of lost opportunities. Risks that
Southeast Asian countries will not have a voice
in global affairs and are not strong enough to
negotiate for their own best interests. Risks
that the region’s economies will not continue
to develop. Risks that people will not be able to
“Without ASEAN, we would
have no vision for the future”
live and work in places they choose, raise
their children in healthy cities with good
schools, and have opportunities to advance
in their careers.
Without ASEAN, we would have no
vision for the future: No possible picture of
an integrated Southeast Asia, where regional
issues like corruption and environmental
degradation are addressed. No interconnected
region, with people and products free to move
from one country to another. The great irony
is: Maybe we’re lucky that many people do not
understand the great importance of ASEAN,
precisely because it does its job so well.
Deepening integration through improving
connectivity and increasing trade and
investment are critical to the realisation of the
vision of a resilient, people-oriented, rules-
based region that has become a global voice.
ASEAN is the platform to make that vision
come true.Hidetoshi Nishimura
President, Economic Research Institute
for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)ASeAn’S people
hope for:A strong voice in
global negotiationsGood infrastructure
connections between
member statesGood flow of
professionalsSustainable
management
of shared natural
resourcesLess corruption80%
80%
75%
70%
70%
DATA SOURCE: ERIAASeAn free
trAde AreA99.6% of products
with 0–5% tariffs
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore
and Thailand97% of products
with 0–5% tariffs
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
and Vietnamtop left An aerial
shot of rice terraces in
Tegallalang, Bali