ASEAN 50: Regional Security Cooperation through Selected Documents curates key official documents that establish ASEAN as the foundation of Southeast Asia's peace and security. Since 1967, ASEAN has played the crucial role of managing conflicts and maintaining stability in a region shaped by diverse political, economic and socio-cultural dynamics. During the Cold War, ASEAN's ability to keep major power rivalries and intra-mural disputes in check provided the conditions for economic growth in the region. Yet the extent of ASEAN's contributions to the security of Southeast Asia have not been systematically presented.
This compendium of official ASEAN declarations, statements, treaties, conventions and workplans demonstrates the activism and innovation of ASEAN member countries in their management of regional security for the past five decades. ASEAN 50: Regional Security Cooperation through Selected Documents provides answers to how ASEAN remains a cohesive organisation through periods of regional conflict, how ASEAN unity thrives despite seemingly insurmountable differences among the ten members, and how ASEAN centrality is resilient against pressure arising from great power influences in Southeast Asia.
Sample Chapter(s)
Foreword (184 KB)
Introduction (189 KB)
Chapter 1: The Formation of a Southeast Asian Association (360 KB)
Contents:
- Preface
- Foreword
- Introduction
- The Formation of a Southeast Asian Association
- ZOPFAN, ASEAN Concord, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
- ASEAN and the Vietnam-Cambodia Conflict
- After the Cold War: ASEAN Expansion and Engagement with Dialogue Partners
- The ASEAN Charter
- ASEAN Regional Forum and the Defence Ministers' Meetings
- ASEAN, China, and the South China Sea
- ASEAN and Non-Traditional Security
- Closing Thoughts
- Selected Abbreviations
- Selected Bibliography
- About the Authors
- Index
Readership: University and graduate level students and professionals specialising in ASEAN.
Eddie Lim is the Coordinator of the Military Studies Programme (MSP), part of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) here in RSIS. The MSP is the primary source of professional military education and training (PMET) for the Singapore Armed Forces in the military arts and sciences. The Programme Coordinator ensures the relevant and timely provision of tertiary-level courses for the SAF, as well as a spectrum of other courses at the SAFTI Military Institute (SAFTI MI). Prior to this appointment, he held research and educational appointments in SAFTI MI. After serving his bond with the Public Service Commission, Eddie attended then-IDSS and attained a Master of Science (Strategic Studies). Eddie is currently serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the SAF as an Operationally-Ready NSman, having attended most of the courses at SAFTI MI, culminating in the National Service Command and Staff Course (NSCSC).
Daniel Chua is Assistant Professor with the Military Studies Programme at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, RSIS. He is also Deputy Head of Graduate Studies at RSIS, and coordinator of the Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO), a summer programme for senior military officers. Prior to his appointment at RSIS, Daniel taught courses in Asian Studies, Strategic Studies and Military History at the Australian National University, as well as in the Australian Defence Force Academy at UNSW, Canberra. His doctoral research at the ANU focused on the history of foreign relations between the United States and Singapore from 1965 to 1975, traversing fields such as International History, Asian Studies, Cold War Studies and International Relations.