Asean as a factor for peace, security, stability and cooperation in Southeast Asia

Abstract

THIS paper is an attempt to critically examine Asean's contribution to Southeast Asian peace, security, stability and cooperation since its inception, and to assess its prospects for the near future. 'Cooperation' in this regard will be deemed to refer to cooperation within the ambit of peace, security and stability; cooperation in the economic field is not the subject matter of this paper except in so far as it was conceptually intended to contribute to national and regional security and stability. Asean of course was the third attempt at sub-regional if not regional cooperation originating from indigenous initiatives, its forerunners being the short-lived and conflict-ridden Association of Southeast Asia (ASA) and the still-born Maphilindo. Unlike the previous two, Asean has proved both more durable and resilient, in part due to the lessening of tensions between Malaysia and the Philippines, and later between Malaysia and Indonesia. Asean's avowed purpose was the promotion of economic, social and cultural cooperation, but intra-regional conflict management and security were the primary motives, motives which were understated in the Asean Declaration of 1967. In a sense therefore, it is indeed apt that Asean's performance and contribution be judged essentially from the security viewpoint, as it was security that was the dominant concern of its founders. Asean's security concerns Asean's security concerns have evolved over time in response to changes in the strategic and security environment in the Asean sub-region, the Mr Jawhar Hassan is Deputy Director-General, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.